The Interactions between FOXO Genotypes and Social/Behavioral Factors on Elderly’s Health at Advanced Ages in Mainland China

Weijin Wang, Ministry of Civil Affairs, People's Republic of China
Jiehua Lu, Beijing University

Abstract:Based on the CLHLS 1998-2012 longitudinal dataset, this study found some new exploratory results about the interactions between FOXO gene and social/behavioral factors on elderly’s health at advanced ages in China. The interaction between FOXOA1-209 and regular exercise increases MMSE score (ß=3.3, p<0.05), the interaction between FOXO1A-213 and exercise reduces the chance of negative emotion(OR=0.4, p<0.05),while interaction between FOXO1A-213 and smoking is positively associated with impaired cognitive function (OR=4.8, p<0.05). Furthermore, interactions between all three SNPs of FOXO3A (FOXO3A-310, FOXO3A-292 and FOXO3A-936) and hungry experience during childhood protect self-reported health of the elderly, the OR increases by 1.4(p<0.01), 1.2(p<0.05) and 1.4(p<0.01), respectively. Keywords: elderly’s health, social and behavior factors, FOXO, interaction