Can 'early programming' be partly explained by smoking? Results from a prospective, population-based cohort study
Liv Grimstvedt Kvalvik1, Rolv Skjaerven, Kari Klungsøyr
1Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology
|November 25, 2014
Summary
Low birthweight is linked to adult smoking. This connection may explain why low birthweight is associated with later cardiovascular disease, suggesting a shared environmental influence.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- Established link between low birthweight and subsequent diseases.
- Investigating potential mechanisms connecting birthweight to adult health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between birthweight and adult smoking habits.
- To explore if smoking behavior mediates the low birthweight-disease relationship.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, population-based cohort study using The Medical Birth Registry of Norway.
- Analysis of birthweight in relation to women's later smoking and partners' smoking habits.
- Examination of maternal mortality risk based on daughters' smoking status.
Main Results:
- Women with low birthweight (<2000 g) had a higher prevalence of adult daily smoking (20%) compared to normal birthweight (11%).
- Significant associations were observed between men's birthweight and their partners' smoking habits.
- Mothers of women who smoked as adults had double the risk of death from lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Conclusions:
- Low birthweight is a predictor of adult smoking.
- Shared smoking environments may explain associations between birthweight, partner smoking, and maternal mortality.
- This pathway may contribute to the known link between low birthweight and cardiovascular disease.
Keywords:
birthweightfetal origin of adult disease hypothesismaternal smokingmortalitypregnancytobacco smokingMore Related Videos
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