Life-course social mobility and cardiometabolic disease: evidence from five international cohorts
Authors' conclusion
Low life course SDOH and adverse social mobility trajectories increase CMDs risk, whereas maintaining healthy lifestyles and favorable psychosocial wellbeing may mitigate the risk.
Study context
- Population
- Adults in five prospective cohorts across USA, Europe, China, South Korea and England (mean age 63.2 years; 57.2% women)
- Participants
- 51,002 adults · 5 cohorts
- Comparison
- High vs Medium vs Low
- Outcome
- Cardiometabolic disease (self-reported physician-diagnosed heart diseases, diabetes or stroke)
Methodological detailsfive international cohorts
- Five international cohorts
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Overall CMD risk
- Low social determinants of health (SDOH) in childhood, early adulthood, middle-late adulthood and cumulatively each associated with higher cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk
- Stable low, downward and increase-then-decline mobility trajectories associated with elevated CMD risk
Further pooled results
Proportion of associations explained by lifestyle and psychosocial factors
- Lifestyle factors
- 13.3%-50.5%
- Psychosocial factors
- 15.8%-73.7%
- Greatest attenuation for heart diseases
Contributors at equivalent cumulative SDOH levels
- Alcohol consumption, physical activity, depressive symptoms and social participation each contributed significantly to explaining the SDOH–CMD association
Original publication
Life-course social mobility and cardiometabolic disease: evidence from five international cohorts. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 15 April 2026. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it