Telomere length (TL) is considered as a marker of cell senescence, but factors influencing the rate of TL attrition are not well understood. While one previous study reported the association of occupation and TL, many subsequent studies have failed to find the association. This may be due to heterogeneity within the samples and cross-sectional designs. This longitudinal study examines two occupational characteristics, occupational complexity and hazardous conditions, as predictors of TL attrition in gender-and race/ethnicity-stratified analysis. Leukocyte TL (expressed as T/S ratio) was measured twice over a 10-year period in a multi-racial sample (n = 914). Linear mixed effect models were used to estimate TL attrition associated with occupational complexity and hazardous conditions. Analysis was stratified by gender and race/ethnicity (white, African American, and Latino) and controlled for baseline age, baseline TL, and time since baseline. Higher occupational complexity was associated with slower rates of TL attrition only among white men. Hazardous conditions were not associated with TL attrition for any gender-and-race/ethnicity stratified group. Occupational complexity may influence TL attrition, but the different findings for white men and other groups suggest that a more comprehensive framework is needed to better understand the potential link between occupational characteristics and biological aging.
Selected occupational characteristics and change in leukocyte telomere length over 10 years: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
Creators
Kaori Fujishiro - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Belinda L. Needham - University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Paul A. Landsbergis - SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Teresa Seeman - University of California, Los Angeles
Nancy Swords Jenny - University of Vermont
Ana V. Diez Roux - Drexel University
Publication Details
PloS one, Vol.13(9), pp.e0204704-e0204704
Publisher
Public Library Science
Number of pages
12
Grant note
P30AG017265 / NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA)
HHSN268201500003I; N01-HC-95159; N01-HC-95160; N01-HC-95161; N01-HC-95163; N01-HC-95164; N01-HC-95165; N01-HC-95166; N01-HC-95167; N01-HC-95168; N01-HC-95169 / National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Heart Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI)
UL1-TR-000040; UL1-TR-001079; UL1-TR-001420 / NCATS; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
P30AG028748 / UCLA Older Americans Independence Center, NIH/NIA; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA)
P30AG017265 / USC/UCLA Biodemography Center through a P30 grant from the NIA
Resource Type
Journal article
Language
English
Academic Unit
Urban Health Collaborative
Identifiers
991019168039304721
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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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