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. 2021 Nov 20:16:100976.
doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100976. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Changes in asset-based wealth across the life course in birth cohorts from five low- and middle-income countries

Jithin Sam Varghese  1 , Linda S Adair  2 , Shivani A Patel  3 , Sonny Agustin Bechayda  4   5 , Santosh K Bhargava  6 , Delia B Carba  4 , Bernardo L Horta  7 , Natalia P Lima  8 , Reynaldo Martorell  1   3 , Ana M B Menezes  7 , Shane A Norris  9 , Linda M Richter  10 , Manuel Ramirez-Zea  11 , Harshpal Singh Sachdev  12 , Fernando C Wehrmeister  7 , Aryeh D Stein  1   3 ; COHORTS group
Affiliations

Changes in asset-based wealth across the life course in birth cohorts from five low- and middle-income countries

Jithin Sam Varghese et al. SSM Popul Health. .

Abstract

Background: Temporally-harmonized asset-based measures of wealth can be used to study the association of life-course wealth exposures in the same scale with health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The within-individual longitudinal stability of asset-based indices of wealth in LMICs is poorly understood.

Methods: Using data from five birth cohorts from three continents, we developed temporally-harmonized asset indices over the life course through polychoric principal component analysis of a common set of assets collected consistently over time (18 years in Brazil to 50 years in Guatemala). For each cohort, we compared the harmonized index to cross-sectional indices created using more comprehensive asset measures using rank correlations. We evaluated the rank correlation of the harmonized index in early life and adulthood with maternal schooling and own attained schooling, respectively.

Results: Temporally-harmonized asset indices developed from a consistently-collected set of assets (range: 10 in South Africa to 30 in Philippines) suggested that mean wealth improved over time for all birth cohorts. Cross-sectional indices created separately for each study wave were correlated with the harmonized index for all cohorts (Brazil: r = 0.78 to 0.96; Guatemala: r = 0.81 to 0.95; India: 0.75 to 0.93; Philippines: r = 0.92 to 0.99; South Africa: r = 0.84 to 0.96). Maternal schooling (r = 0.15 to 0.56) and attained schooling (r = 0.23 to 0.53) were positively correlated with the harmonized asset index in childhood and adulthood respectively.

Conclusions: Temporally-harmonized asset indices displayed coherence with cross-sectional indices as well as construct validity with schooling.

Keywords: CLHNS, Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey; COHORTS, Consortium On Health Orientated Research in Transitioning Societies; EFA, Exploratory Factor Analysis; INCAP, Institute of Nutrition for Central America and Panama; LMIC, Low- and middle-income countries; Life course epidemiology; MCA, Multiple Correspondence Analysis; NDBC, New Delhi Birth Cohort; PCA, Principal Component Analysis; SD, standard deviation; SEP, Socio-economic position; Social mobility; Wealth index.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Household-level trends in temporally-harmonized asset index for birth cohorts from low- and middle-income countries.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean trends in temporally-harmonized asset index for birth cohorts All values are mean values from a harmonized index created separately for each cohort. Only mean values at ages where number of observations are greater than 30 are plotted. Guatemala has age ranges of 0–5 in 1967 and 0–7 in 1975 which have been combined (ages less than zero indicate those born after data collection). The number of data points above for Guatemala (1962–1977) and India (1969–1972) is a result of the wide range of birth years. Missing birth years were imputed with median of data collection (i.e. 1971) in India.
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