1. Objectifs

Intentions :
This study’s goal is to examine «[…] the role of early life conditions on adult mortality […].» (p. 1503)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The authors «[…] assume that the farm advantage was stronger for larger farms, as measured by the number of acres. [They] also expect a distinctive survival advantage for those who resided in a household that was owned by its head. [They] detail a few pathways through which the advantages may have been gained, including selection processes.» (p. 1498)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The database used for this study links information at two points in time for each individual: April 1st, 1901 and the date of death. Early life conditions were derived from the Canadian Families Project’s (CFP) five-percent sample of the 1901 Canadian Census, consisting of a stratified random sample by household […]. All sampled individuals were born in Quebec between the years 1887 and 1901 and were of French ethnicity and Roman Catholic.» (p. 1499) L’échantillon comprend 3944 hommes et 3985 femmes.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

According to the authors, «[s]ocioeconomic status in childhood, as measured by homeownership and the number of acres owned by the household head, was found to be a significant predictor of adult mortality among males living in rural areas as children in 1901. Rural male children living in a relatively wealthy farming household went on to experience a lower risk of mortality after age fifty than their less-wealthy counterparts. […] Such a strong pattern of influence on mortality risk was not found among rural females, however, who instead benefited from the literacy of their father. Females with literate fathers might have been more likely to benefit from upward social mobility through marriage. Literacy in the family of origin could also have improved women’s health-related knowledge. These differential results by sex were ones of many cases in our study where males and females were found to respond differently, in terms of adult mortality risk, to common early life conditions. Another notable difference was the fact that shared frailty among same-sex siblings did not play any influential role among females, while it was strongly influential among males.» (p. 1502-1503)