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There is little current research on the transition to natural menopause among contemporary groups of mid-life women at age 40 years. This study reports on female members of the Christchurch Health and Development Study cohort. This research aimed to: document the menopause status, reproductive outcomes and climacteric symptoms of the women at age 40 years; examine the associations between menopause status and concurrent measures of psychosocial and economic well-being; and document the associations between menopause status and potential predictors of menopause reflecting childhood, family and individual factors prior to age 40 years. The Christchurch Health and Development Study is a longitudinal, representative, prospective cohort of 1265 babies (630 females) born in New Zealand in 1977. At age 40 years, 470 women (who had not experienced surgical menopause) were interviewed on their menopause status, climacteric symptoms and associated factors. The majority of women were premenopausal, around 20% were perimenopausal and 2% were postmenopausal. Statistically significant associations were found reflecting higher rates of diagnosed reproductive disorder, climacteric symptoms, low occupational status, non-heterosexual sexuality and exposure to childhood sexual abuse amongst both perimenopausal and postmenopausal women at age 40 years. These data will inform directions for future data collection and analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial life course epidemiological approaches offer promise for prospectively examining the impacts of air pollution exposure on longer-term health outcomes, but existing research is limited. An essential aspect, often overlooked is the comprehensiveness of exposure data across the lifecourse. The primary objective was to meticulously reconstruct historical estimates of air pollution exposure to include prenatal exposure as well as annual exposure from birth to 10 years (1977-1987) for each cohort member. We linked these data from a birth cohort of 1,265 individuals, born in Aotearoa/New Zealand in mid-1977 and studied to age 40, to historical air pollution data to create estimates of exposure from birth to 10 years (1977-1987). Improvements in air quality over time were found. However, outcomes varied by demographic and socioeconomic factors. Future research should examine how inequitable air pollution exposure is related to health outcomes over the life course., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Longitudinal studies consistently report adverse long-term outcomes of childhood maltreatment. Little is known about the impact of childhood maltreatment on mental health among a marginalized population (New Zealand Māori); therefore, we cannot assume the effects of maltreatment are the same across the population., Objective: Associations were examined between childhood sexual abuse (CSA), childhood physical punishment (CPP) and childhood neglect (CN) (<16 years) and mental health outcomes 18-40 years, by ethnicity (Māori/non-Māori)., Participants and Setting: Data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a study of a birth cohort of 1265 children born in Christchurch in 1977. By age 40, 17.8 % (n = 191) reported New Zealand Māori ethnic identity; 82.2 % (n = 883) were non-Māori., Methods: CSA, CPP (<16 years) were measured at 18, 21 years; CN was measured at 40 years. Major depression, anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, alcohol abuse/dependence and cannabis abuse/dependence were measured at ages 21, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years. Childhood confounding variables controlled. Analyses were extended to include Māori ethnicity., Results: After statistical adjustment, experience of severe childhood maltreatment increased odds of mental health problems 1.8-2.6×, compared to no maltreatment; the effects of maltreatment were similar for males and females. For Māori, some higher rates of mental health problems were seen among those maltreated, no statistically significant associations were detected after Bonferroni correction (among severe maltreatment vs. no maltreatment). Limitations should be considered when interpreting results., Conclusions: Exposure to childhood maltreatment has long-term effects into middle-age. Further research employing culturally-sensitive approaches may help clarify Māori childhood maltreatment outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The Authors declare no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)