Studying the Life Course Health Consequences of Childhood Adversity

The adverse health consequences of low socioeconomic position (SEP) are well documented(1, 2), including several studies that have examined when in the life course socio-economic differences in health emerge and how inequalities change with age.(3-7) The findings from these life course studies can shed light on the underlying pathways to disease inequalities, and the degree to which these may differ across health outcomes. Aside from SEP, the physical health consequences of other forms of adversity are less well studied (although a considerable body of evidence exists for mental health (e.g.(8, 9))). The study by Su et al in this issue of Circulation(10) therefore makes a valuable contribution to the literature.