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Related Experiment Videos

Modeling postnatal exposures and their interactions with birth size.

Tim J Cole1

  • 1Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, University College, London, UK. tim.cole@ich.ucl.ac.uk

The Journal of Nutrition
|January 6, 2004
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a life course plot to analyze how early life size and growth impact adult health. Findings show adolescent weight and weight gain are key, with birth length potentially influencing later disease risk.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)
  • Life Course Epidemiology
  • Pediatric Health Outcomes

Background:

  • The fetal origins of adult disease hypothesis links birth weight to later health risks via fetal programming.
  • Disentangling the effects of size versus growth on health outcomes is challenging.
  • Catch-up growth after low birth weight can also be a risk factor for adult disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present the life course plot, a novel method for simultaneously visualizing size and growth effects on health outcomes.
  • To investigate the influence of early life weight and weight gain on adolescent blood pressure.
  • To explore potential fetal programming effects indicated by birth size and later health.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized multiple-regression analysis to assess the impact of weight z-scores at various ages on health outcomes.

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  • Developed and applied the 'life course plot' to display regression coefficients against measurement ages.
  • Analyzed data from cohorts in Pelotas, Brazil, and Cebu, Philippines, linking childhood weight to adolescent blood pressure.

    • Main Results:

    • Adolescent weight and weight gain were more significant predictors of adolescent blood pressure than infant weight.
    • A small inverse association between infant weight and later outcomes was observed.
    • Birth length in the Cebu study modified the relationship between adolescent weight and blood pressure, suggesting a fetal programming effect.

    Conclusions:

    • The life course plot effectively visualizes the distinct contributions of size and growth to health trajectories.
    • Adolescent growth, rather than solely birth weight, plays a critical role in determining adolescent blood pressure.
    • Evidence suggests fetal programming, where birth length influences the sensitivity of the weight-blood pressure relationship in adolescence.