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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Feb 9.
Published in final edited form as: Lancet Healthy Longev. 2021 May 17;2(6):E327–E339. doi: 10.1016/S2666-7568(21)00087-8

Table 2. Lifestyle factors, cardiometabolic traits and epigenetic age acceleration in migrant and non-migrant Ghanaians in RODAM study.

IEAA (Horvath) 1 EEAA (Hannum) 2 PhenoAgeAccel 3 GrimAgeAccel 4
Non-migrants 5
(N=347)
Migrants 6
(N=365)
Non-migrants 5
(N=347)
Migrants 6
(N=365)
Non-migrants 5
(N=347)
Migrants 6
(N=365)
Non-migrants 5
(N=347)
Migrants 6
(N=365)
β (95% CI) β (95% CI) β (95% CI) β (95% CI) β (95% CI) β (95% CI) β (95% CI) β (95% CI)
Lifestyle factors
Alcohol consumption
  No ref ref ref ref ref ref ref ref
  Yes (crude) –0.77 (–2.13;0.59) –1.07 (–2.29;0.16) –0.82 (–1.99;0.34) –0.39 (–1.46;0.67) –0.37 (–1.90;1.16) –0.38 (–1.72;0.96) –0.58 (–0.28;1.39) 0.64 (–0.17;1.44)
  Yes (adjusted) –0.92 (–2.32;0.48) –0.01 (–1.71;1.70) –1.03 (–2.23;0.18) –0.27 (–1.70;1.16) –0.74 (–2.31;0.84) –0.08 (–1.86;1.71) –0.17 (–0.97;0.63) 0.44 (–0.33;1.22)
Physical activity levels 7
   Low ref ref ref ref ref ref ref ref
   Moderate (crude) –0.77 (–2.60;1.07) –0.27 (–1.86;1.32) –0.20 (–1.78;1.37) –0.90 (–2.28;0.48) 0.96 (–1.10;3.03) –0.37 (–2.10;1.35) 0.74 (–0.38;1.86) –0.29 (–1.34;0.74)
   Moderate (adjusted) –0.78 (–2.67;1.11) 0.64 (–2.82;2.82) –0.18 (–1.81;1.44) –0.33 (–2.16;1.49) 0.71 (–1.41;2.85) 0.12 (–2.16;2.41) –0.13 (–1.21;0.04) –0.52 (–1.49;0.44)
   High (crude) –0.67 (–2.12;0.77) –1.16 (–2.54;0.22) –0.674 (–1.91;0.56) –0.71 (–1.92;0.48) 0.41 (–1.21;2.04) –1.91 (–3.41;0.41) –0.53 (–1.43;0.35) 0.49 (–0.41;1.39)
   High (adjusted) –0.33 (–1.85;1.20) –0.19 (–1.69;1.69) –0.347 (–1.66;0.96) –0.21 (–1.79;1.36) 0.55 (–1.16;2.27) –2.16 (–4.13; –0.20) –1.12 (–1.98; 0.25) –0.15 (–1.00;0.69)
Tobacco smoking
   Past (crude) 1.59 (–0.61;3.79) –0.35 (–0.72;0.03) 0.62 (–1.28;2.52) –0.13 (–2.02;1.75) –0.11 (–2.60;2.37) –1.67 (–4.05;0.70) 3.14 (1.81;4.49) 1.89 (0.52;3.26)
  Past (adjusted) –3.15 (–9.09;2.79) –0.26 (–0.42;0.42) –1.33 (–6.44;3.78) 3.11 (–0.79;7.02) –7.07 (–13.76; –0.40) 1.44 (–3.4;6.32) 0.51 (–2.86;3.89) –2.09 (–4.22;0.02)
  Current (crude) 5.01 (–0.40;10.43) –0.03 (–2.83;2.78) 1.07 (–3.60;5.75) –1.91 (–4.33;0.52) 5.62 (–0.48;11.73) –0.24 (–3.30;2.81) 1.83 (–1.43;5.19) 4.56 (2.79;6.32)
  Current (adjusted) –5.13 (–10.61;0.35) –1.39 (–5.19;5.19) –1.34 (–6.06;3.37) 2.91 (–0.28;6.09) –6.31 (–12.47; –0.15) 1.29 (–2.68;5.28) –1.26 (–4.38;1.85) –3.60 (–5.36; –1.80)
Length of stay in Europe among migrants
Length of stay (crude)   NA   –0.01 (–0.07;0.05)   NA –0.03 (–0.07;0.01)   NA –0.04 (–0.14;0.06)   NA 0.01 (–0.04;0.05)
Length of stay (adjusted)   NA 0.04 (–0.02;0.12)   NA 0.04 (–0.03;0.11)   NA 0.05 (–0.04;0.13)   NA 0.03 (–0.02;0.08)
One carbon metabolism nutrients 7
Vit B2 (crude) –1.37 (–2.63;0.12) –0.35 (–0.72;0.03) –0.585 (–1.67;0.50) –0.13 (–0.47;0.19) –1.59 (–3.01; –0.18) 0.07 (–0.34;0.49) –0.54 (–1.32;0.24) 0.09 (–0.15;0.33)
Vit B2 (adjusted) –1.06 (–3.39;1.27) –0.26 (–0.94;0.42) –1.92 (–3.94;0.08) –0.12 (–0.69;0.45) –3.09 (–5.72; –0.47) –0.29 (–1.01;0.41) –1.51 (–2.75;0.27) –0.06 (–0.39;0.26)
Vit B6 (crude) –0.69 (–1.50;0.12) –0.14 (–0.61;0.33) 0.01 (–0.69;0.70) –0.05 (–0.46;0.36) –0.43 (–1.35;0.47) 0.46 (–0.05;0.97) –0.10 (–0.60;0.41) 0.10 (–0.20;0.49)
  Vit B6 (adjusted) –1.31 (–3.78;1.15) 0.66 (–2.18;2.18) –0.59 (–2.72;1.52) –0.08 (–1.36;1.19) –2.13 (–4.90;0.64) 0.96 (–0.63;2.56) –0.93 (–2.26;0.39) 0.39 (–0.32;1.03)
  Vit B9 (crude) 0.00 (–0.01;0.00) 0.00 (0.00;0.00) 0.02 (0.00;0.01) –0.01 (0.00;0.00) 0.01 (–0.01;0.01) 0.00 (0.00;0.01) 0.01 (–0.02;0.05) 0.00 (–0.02;0.02)
  Vit B9 (adjusted) –0.01 (0.00;0.03) 0.00 (–0.01;0.01) –0.01 (–0.02; –0.001) –0.01 (–0.01;0.00) –0.02 (0.04; –0.001) –0.00 (–0.01;0.01) -0.01 (–0.03; –0.02) 0.00 (–0.04;0.03)
  Vit B12 (crude) 0.00 (–0.04;0.03) 0.04 (–0.03;0.10) 0.02 (–0.01;0.05) –0.01 (–0.06;0.05) –0.01 (–0.04;0.04) 0.08 (0.00;0.14) –0.01 (–0.02;0.02) –0.02 (–0.01; –0.03)
  Vit B12 (adjusted) 0.00 (–0.04;0.04) 0.05 (–0.20;0.31) 0.03 (;0.001;0.06) 0.14 (–0.09;0.36) 0.01 (–0.03;0.05) 0.13 (–0.15;0.41) –0.01 (–0.03;0.02) 0.02 (–0.02;0.06)
Cardiometabolic factors
  BMI (crude) –0.15 (–0.27; –0.04) –0.04 (–0.16;0.09) –0.16 (–0.26; –0.07) –0.03 (–0.14;0.07) –0.22 (–0.35; –0.10) –0.13 (–0.26;0.01) –0.16 (–0.23; –0.09) –0.09 (–0.17;0.02)
  BMI (adjusted) –0.14 (–0.26; –0.02) 0.00 (–0.14;0.14) –0.14 (–0.25; –0.04) 0.00 (–0.11;0.12) –0.21 (–0.34; –0.07) –0.13 (–0.27;0.01) –0.11 (–0.18; –0.04) –0.01 (–0.09;0.07)
  SBP (crude) 0.01 (–0.03;0.04) –0.01 (–0.05;0.02) 0.01 (–0.01;0.04) 0.00 (–0.03;0.03) –0.01 (–0.04;0.02) 0.01 (–0.03;0.05) 0.00 (–0.01;0.02) 0.02 (–0.01;0.04)
  SBP (adjusted) 0.00 (–0.03;0.03) –0.02 (–0.02;0.02) 0.00 (–0.02;0.03) 0.00 (–0.03;0.03) –0.02 (–0.05;0.02) 0.02 (–0.02;0.06) –0.01 (–0.02;0.02) 0.01 (–0.01;0.03)
  DBP (crude) –0.02 (–0.08;0.03) –0.02 (–0.07;0.03) 0.02 (–0.03;0.06) 0.01 (–0.04;0.06) –0.04 (–0.10;0.02) 0.00 (–0.06–0.06) 0.01 (–0.02;0.04) 0.07 (0.03;0.11)
  DBP (adjusted) –0.03 (–0.09;0.02) –0.04 (–0.02;0.02) 0.01 (–0.04;0.05) –0.01 (–0.06;0.05) –0.05 (–0.11;0.02) 0.01 (–0.06–0.07) –0.01 (–0.04;0.02) 0.03 (–0.01;0.06)
  FBG (crude) 0.12 (–0.03;0.28) 0.29 (0.01;0.58) 0.10 (–0.03;0.23) 0.32 (0.08;0.57) 0.15 (–0.03;0.32) 0.37 (0.05–0.68) 0.15 (0.06;0.25) 0.29 (0.11;0.48)
  FBG (adjusted) 0.12 (–0.04;0.28) 0.30 (0.01;0.59) 0.08 (–0.06;0.22) 0.31 (0.05;0.56) 0.14 (–0.0;0.32) 0.39 (0.07;0.71) 0.12 (0.03;0.21) 0.18 (0.01;0.34)

The table depicts linear regression model β with 95% confidence intervals. Crude = crude linear regression model, adjusted= fully adjusted linear regression model for age, sex, education, smoking, physical activity, alcohol intake, total energy intake, and duration of stay in host countries for migrants, respectively.

1

Intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (within each cell) obtained using Horvath clock

2

Extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (between different cells) using Hannum clock

3

Epigenetic age acceleration incorporating clinical traits obtained using the PhenoAge clock

4

Epigenetic age acceleration incorporating plasma proteins obtained using GrimAge clock

5

Ghanaians living in rural and urban Ghana were categorised as non-migrants

6

Ghanaians living in Amsterdam, Berlin and London were categorised as migrants.

7

Levels of physical activity categorised according to GPAQ criteria. Abbreviations: Length stay= duration of stay in Europe for migrants, Vit= Vitamin, Vitamin intake was measured in mg/day for Vitamin B2 and Vitamin B6, while vitamin B9 and Vitamin B12 were measured in mcg/day, BMI= body mass index (kg/m2), SBP= systolic blood pressure (mmHg), DBP= diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), FBG= fasting blood glucose (mmol/L). Highlighted results are the statistically significant results in the adjusted linear regression models.