19 However, these findings are not consistent, since other studies demonstrate

a null or attenuated effect of early life circumstances on SRH when adjusting for socioeconomic characteristics in adulthood.20 scientific assay 21 Kuh et al22 propose the following mechanism to explain the relationship between socioeconomic circumstances in childhood and SRH in adulthood. Family circumstances (parental education level and income, and deprivation of essentials such as food) can limit access to opportunities for educational achievement, an important predictor of adult income and occupation, which in turn represents distal risk factors for health status in adulthood. In support of this view, there is evidence that individuals with favourable

family backgrounds have a better chance of achieving a higher socioeconomic position (SEP) in adulthood.23 On the other hand, children born in families with a low SEP have fewer chances of finishing their studies. At the same time, the limited educational achievement of children from socially disadvantaged families is likely to limit their lifecourse opportunities and those of their offspring.24 Some studies show that socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood is associated with psychological and behavioural problems in childhood and adulthood, such as low perceived control and negative coping styles, that may contribute to poor health in adulthood, regardless of adult social class.16 25 In addition, childhood and adolescence are critical periods for the development of health-related behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption, having an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise.22

These behaviours—sedentary lifestyle in particular—partially explain the independent effect of childhood socioeconomic circumstances on adult health.15 The positive association between SEP in early life and SRH in adulthood has been investigated in high-income countries,5 15 20 21 26 but not in Latin-American populations. Studying this relationship among the Cilengitide Brazilian population is of particular interest, since Brazil went through a period of sharp sociodemographic transition during the second half of the 20th century and experienced important economic growth, which allowed an improvement in the living standards of the population. Furthermore, most studies include only a few early SEP indicators15–17 21 or analyse SRH as a dichotomous variable5 6 15–17 20 21 26–28 without making good use of data collected using four or five answer options. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of several SEP indicators in early life on SRH in adulthood, taking into account the influence of characteristics of the individual’s current SEP.