Individuals who gain lower scores on tests of intelligence in childhood or adolescence are more likely to report poorer health outcomes in middle to later life. Studies have shown, for example, that lower intelligence is related to obesity, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, symptoms of psychological distress, and diagnosis of depression. Hypotheses put forward to explain these associations include the possibility that childhood measures of intelligence are (i) predictive of advantageous social circumstances in later life, (ii) associated with general bodily ‘system integrity’ (i.e. scoring well on cognitive ability tests might be a marker for the efficient functioning of other complex systems in the body), or (iii) a proxy for stress management skills and the acquisition of behaviours conducive to health (i.e. not smoking, physical activity and prudent diet). The latter has been suggested as an explanation of the association between body-mass index (BMI) and intelligence, where higher IQ scoring individuals interpret and respond to health advice in more positive ways.
Consequently, in this module, we will use data from the CTD and apply a series of different analytic techniques to explore the relationship between childhood intelligence and adult BMI.
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