Dayoon Kwon

All Publications

• Social mobility and biological aging among older adults in the United States. PNAS nexus Graf, G. H., Zhang, Y., Domingue, B. W., Harris, K. M., Kothari, M., Kwon, D., Muennig, P., Belsky, D. W. 2022; 1 (2): pgac029

  Abstract

  Lower socioeconomic status is associated with faster biological aging, the gradual and progressive decline in system integrity that accumulates with advancing age. Efforts to promote upward social mobility may, therefore, extend healthy lifespan. However, recent studies suggest that upward mobility may also have biological costs related to the stresses of crossing social boundaries. We tested associations of life-course social mobility with biological aging using data from participants in the 2016 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Venous Blood Study who provided blood-chemistry (n=9,255) and/or DNA methylation (DNAm) data (n=3,976). We quantified social mobility from childhood to later-life using data on childhood family characteristics, educational attainment, and wealth accumulation. We quantified biological aging using 3 DNAm "clocks" and 3 blood-chemistry algorithms. We observed substantial social mobility among study participants. Those who achieved upward mobility exhibited less-advanced and slower biological aging. Associations of upward mobility with less-advanced and slower aging were consistent for blood-chemistry and DNAm measures of biological aging, and were similar for men and women and for Black and White Americans (Pearson-r effect-sizes 0.2 for blood-chemistry measures and the DNAm GrimAge clock and DunedinPoAm pace-of-aging measures; effect-sizes were smaller for the DNAm PhenoAge clock). Analysis restricted to educational mobility suggested differential effects by racial identity; mediating links between educational mobility and healthy aging may be disrupted by structural racism. In contrast, mobility producing accumulation of wealth appeared to benefit White and Black Americans equally, suggesting economic intervention to reduce wealth inequality may have potential to heal disparities in healthy aging.

  View details for DOI 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac029

  View details for PubMedID 35615471

• Associations of Loneliness and Social Isolation with Healthspan and Lifespan in the US Health and Retirement Study. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Crowe, C. L., Domingue, B. W., Graf, G. H., Keyes, K. M., Kwon, D., Belsky, D. W. 2021

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Loneliness and social isolation are emerging public health challenges for aging populations.METHODS: We followed N=11,302 US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) participants aged 50-95 from 2006-2014 to measure persistence of experiences of loneliness and exposure to social isolation. We tested associations of longitudinal loneliness and social isolation phenotypes with disability, morbidity, mortality, and biological aging through 2018.RESULTS: During follow-up, 18% of older adults met criteria for loneliness, with 6% meeting criteria at two or more follow-up assessments. For social isolation, these fractions were 21% and 8%. HRS participants who experienced loneliness and were exposed to social isolation were at increased risk for disease, disability, and mortality. Those experiencing persistent loneliness were at a 57% increased hazard of mortality compared to those who never experienced loneliness. For social isolation, the increase was 28%. Effect-sizes were somewhat larger for counts of prevalent activity limitations and somewhat smaller for counts of prevalent chronic diseases. Covariate adjustment for socioeconomic and psychological risks attenuated but did not fully explain associations. Older adults who experienced loneliness and were exposed to social isolation also exhibited physiological indications of advanced biological aging (Cohen's-d for persistent loneliness and social isolation=0.26 and 0.21, respectively). For loneliness, but not social isolation, persistence was associated with increased risk.CONCLUSION: Deficits in social connectedness prevalent in a national sample of US older adults were associated with morbidity, disability, and mortality and with more advanced biological aging. Bolstering social connectedness to interrupt experiences of loneliness may promote healthy aging.

  View details for DOI 10.1093/gerona/glab128

  View details for PubMedID 33963758