Reaching 100 years of age had been linked to specific genes in former scientific studies. Recent data allowed scientists to determine other factors critical to reaching a centenarian age: socioeconomic status and environment.
A team from Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine analyzed the deaths of 144,665 individuals between 2011 and 2015 to discover what factors contributed to living a long, healthy life. Their data came from the observation of centenarians living in Washington State.
The scientists found that communities that were highly walkable and had age diversity were contributing factors. In addition to a generally healthy diet and lifestyle, people's socioeconomic status was also relevant since urban areas and smaller towns with a higher status, such as Seattle and Pullman, had a higher percentage of individuals above 75 years old.
Centenarians
Centenarians are individuals who have aged to reach 100 and beyond. Previous studies have determined that some of these individuals, or 'delayers,' did not contract an age-related disease until 80 years old or later. Almost half are 'survivors,' those getting sick before 80 yet still reaching 100, while the rest who had no signs of clinical disease at all have been called 'escapers.'
Rajan Bhardwaj, a Washington State University student, said, 'Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that social and environmental factors contribute significantly to longevity.' Previous analysis on centenarians estimated that genetics only contributed about 20% to 30% chances of an individual reaching old age.
Ofer Amram, a professor at WSU's Community Health and Spatial Epidemiology (CHaSE) lab, explained, 'We know from previous research that you can modify, through behavior, your susceptibility to different diseases based on your genetics.' This meant that change in lifestyle may beat one's genetic odds to live longer, yet there was still a gap that only environmental and social factors could fill.
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Socioeconomic Status
Alongside Solmaz Amiri and Dedra Buchwald, the team analyzed the lives of people who died after 75 years old, including education level, marital status, race, place of residency. Other factors that they observed within communities were wealth status, access to transportation, availability of health care, percentage of working individuals, air pollution, green space, and rural versus urban areas.
These demographic and environmental factors proved to greatly impact the centenarian age percentage in specific communities. The two most important aspects contributing to old age were neighborhood walkability and higher socioeconomic status.
'These findings indicate that mixed-age communities are very beneficial for everyone involved,' said Bhardwaj. 'They also support the big push in growing urban centers toward making streets more walkable, which makes exercise more accessible to older adults and makes it easier for them to access medical care and grocery stores.' In addition to that, Amram said that communities with more age diversity were seen in urban areas, where the elderly were likely living in less isolation and had more community support.
Their findings also highlight the importance of 'addressing health disparities experienced by racial minorities, such as African Americans and Native Americans.' Their statistics showed that most centenarian individuals were white females.
The team hopes that more research can be done with a bigger and broader scope. Their findings could help contribute to creating healthier communities to increase the population of centenarians.
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