Parental childhood growth and offspring birthweight: Pooled analyses from four birth cohorts in low and middle income countries

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: OY Addo, Emory University; Aryeh D Stein, Emory University; CHD Fall, University of Southampton; DP Gigante, Universidade Federal de Pelotas; AM Guntupalli, University of Southampton; BL Horta, Universidade Federal de Pelotas; CW Kuzawa, Northwestern University; N Lee, University of San Carlos; SA Norris, University of the Witwatersrand; C Osmond, University of Southampton; P Prabhakaran, Public Health Foundation of India; LM Richter, University of the Witwatersrand; HPS Sachdev, Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research; Reynaldo Martorell, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015-01-01
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 The Authors American Journal of Human Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22614
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: American Journal of Human Biology
• ISSN: 1042-0533
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 99
• End Page: 105
• Grant/Funding Information: Pelotas Birth Cohort (Brazil) Wellcome Trust; Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (the Philippines) U.S. National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation; Grand Challenges Canada (0072-03 to the Grantee, The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania); Wellcome Trust (089257/Z/09/Z); Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1020058); New Delhi Birth Cohort Study (India) Indian Council of Medical Research, U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, Medical Research Council (U.K.), and British Heart Foundation; Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama Nutrition Trial Cohort (Guatemala) U.S. National Institutes of Health and U.S. National Science Foundation; The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at National Institutes of Health (HHSN 268200900028C to the Center of Excellence – INCAP/ Guatemala)
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Objective: Associations between parental and offspring size at birth are well established, but the relative importance of parental growth at different ages as predictors of offspring birthweight is less certain. Here we model parental birthweight and postnatal conditional growth in specific age periods as predictors of offspring birthweight. Methods: We analyzed data from 3,392 adults participating in four prospective birth cohorts and 5,506 of their offspring. Results: There was no significant heterogeneity by study site or offspring sex. 1SD increase in maternal birthweight was associated with offspring birthweight increases of 102 g, 1SD in maternal length growth 0-2 year with 46 g, and 1SD in maternal height growth Mid-childhood (MC)-adulthood with 27 g. Maternal relative weight measures were associated with 24 g offspring birth weight increases (2 year- MC) and 49 g for MC-adulthood period but not with earlier relative weight 0-2 year. For fathers, birthweight, and linear/length growth from 0-2 year were associated with increases of 57 and 56 g in offspring birthweight, respectively but not thereafter. Conclusions: Maternal and paternal birthweight and growth from birth to 2 year each predict offspring birthweight. Maternal growth from MC-adulthood, relative weight from 2-MC and MC-adulthood also predict offspring birthweight. These findings suggest that shared genes and/or adequate nutrition during early life for both parents may confer benefits to the next generation, and highlight the importance of maternal height and weight prior to conception. The stronger matrilineal than patrilineal relationships with offspring birth weight are consistent with the hypothesis that improving the early growth conditions of young females can improve birth outcomes in the next generation. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 27:99-105, 2015.