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Maternal factors and development of cardiovascular risk: evidence from a study of blood pressure in children
P Whincup1, D Cook, O Papacosta
1Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, UK.
Insights
Maternal height, not social factors or specific blood markers, was linked to childhood blood pressure (BP). This suggests early life factors influence cardiovascular risk, but maternal diet
Area of Science:
- Pediatric cardiovascular health
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- Public health nutrition
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks may originate in utero, with maternal nutrition a potential key factor.
- Understanding prenatal influences on childhood blood pressure (BP) is crucial for long-term cardiovascular health.
- Previous studies suggest links between maternal factors and offspring BP, but evidence requires further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal factors during pregnancy and childhood BP.
- To evaluate the role of maternal nutrition markers and social factors in childhood BP development.
- To explore early life influences on cardiovascular risk factors in children.
Main Methods:
- Study of 1,311 children aged 9-11 years, linking physical measurements to parental questionnaires.
- Inclusion of birth record data for a subsample (n=662) for detailed analysis.
- Statistical adjustment for child's current height and examination of various maternal and social factors.
Main Results:
- Maternal height showed an inverse relationship with childhood BP after adjusting for child's height.
- Social factors (e.g., social class, smoking) and specific maternal nutrition markers (hemoglobin, MCV) had weak or inconsistent associations with childhood BP.
- Maternal hemoglobin and MCV changes were strongly inversely associated with birthweight but not consistently with placental weight-to-birthweight ratio or childhood BP.
Conclusions:
- Maternal height's association with childhood BP may indicate the impact of early life factors on cardiovascular risk.
- Limited evidence supports maternal diet, as assessed by social factors or specific markers, as a primary influence on childhood BP.
- Further research with more specific hypotheses is needed to elucidate the precise maternal nutrition-childhood cardiovascular risk relationship.
Abstract:
It has been suggested that risks of hypertension and cardiovascular disease begin in utero and that maternal nutrition plays an important role. We have examined the relation between maternal factors and BP in a study of 1,311 children in which physical measurements at 9-11 years of age have been linked to a parental questionnaire; birth record data were also available in a subsample of 662 children. Maternal height was inversely related to childhood BP after adjustment for the child's current height. However, several social factors related to maternal nutrition in pregnancy in earlier studies (including social class, housing tenure, maternal educational attainment and maternal smoking in pregnancy) showed weak and inconsistent relations with BP at 9-11 years. Minimum maternal haemoglobin in pregnancy and change in mean corpuscular volume in pregnancy (identified as potentially important markers of maternal nutrition in earlier studies) showed no consistent relationships either with placental weight to birthweight ratio or with childhood BP, although both factors showed strong inverse associations with birthweight. The association between maternal height and childhood BP may reflect the influence of early life factors on cardiovascular risk. However, the absence of consistent relationships between social factors and BP in offspring provides little support for the possibility that maternal diet is an important influence on cardiovascular risk factors in childhood. Minimum maternal haemoglobin and change in maternal mean corpuscular volume are unlikely to be specific markers of maternal nutrition in pregnancy. More specific hypotheses relating maternal nutrition to the development of cardiovascular risk in offspring are required.