Intergenerational effect of early life growth on offspring height: evidence from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study
Intergenerational effect of early life growth on offspring height: evidence from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study
Background: Previous intergenerational (parent to child) and transgenerational (grandparent to grandchild) studies have shown there is a link between parental and offspring birthweight. Objectives: The aim was to explore the association between the early-life weight gain of an individual and the adult height of their children and grandchildren. Methods: Study participants across three generations of the Hertfordshire Cohort Study (HCS) were included in this study. Health visitors recorded the birthweight (kg) and weight at 1 year (kg) of the original (F0 generation) HCS participants when they were born in Hertfordshire between 1931 and 1939. A conditional infant weight gain score for F0 participants was calculated using birthweight and weight at 1 year, and self-reported height (cm) of their children (F1 generation) and their grandchildren (F2 generation) was obtained from postal questionnaires. Due to the lack of clustering within family lines, linear regression analysis was used to compare intergenerational relationships. Results: Data were available from 139 F0, 148 F1, and 198 F2 participants. A positive association was found between parental birthweight (F0) and offspring adult height; on average, a 1 kg increase in F0 birthweight was associated with a 2.04 cm increase in F1 adult height (beta 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.03, 4.10). A positive association was found between F0 conditional weight gain during the first year of life and offspring (beta 1.53, 95% CI 0.45, 2.62) and grandchild height (beta 1.06, 95% CI 0.03, 2.10). Positive associations were also found between F0 weight at 1 year and offspring (beta 1.83, 95% CI 0.79, 2.87) and grandchild height (beta 0.91, 95% CI −0.10, 1.91). Conclusion: This study demonstrates an association between grandparental weight gain in early life and the heights of their children and grandchildren. The results of these analyses highlight the importance of early-life weight gain on the adult stature of subsequent offspring.
family health, intergenerational health, population health, social determinants of health
29-35
Parsons, Camille
9730e5c3-0382-4ed7-8eaa-6932ab09ec15
Carter, Sarah
a5111bba-b67c-47ec-b74a-b0bcef477fe6
Ward, Kathryn
39bd4db1-c948-4e32-930e-7bec8deb54c7
Syddall, Holly Emma
a0181a93-8fc3-4998-a996-7963f0128328
Clynes, Michael
b860d3b7-12ee-42b8-8cd5-1e1abfccbee2
Cooper, Cyrus
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Dennison, Elaine
ee647287-edb4-4392-8361-e59fd505b1d1
January 2020
Parsons, Camille
9730e5c3-0382-4ed7-8eaa-6932ab09ec15
Carter, Sarah
a5111bba-b67c-47ec-b74a-b0bcef477fe6
Ward, Kathryn
39bd4db1-c948-4e32-930e-7bec8deb54c7
Syddall, Holly Emma
a0181a93-8fc3-4998-a996-7963f0128328
Clynes, Michael
b860d3b7-12ee-42b8-8cd5-1e1abfccbee2
Cooper, Cyrus
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Dennison, Elaine
ee647287-edb4-4392-8361-e59fd505b1d1
Parsons, Camille, Carter, Sarah, Ward, Kathryn, Syddall, Holly Emma, Clynes, Michael, Cooper, Cyrus and Dennison, Elaine
(2020)
Intergenerational effect of early life growth on offspring height: evidence from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study.
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 34 (1), .
(doi:10.1111/ppe.12620).
Abstract
Background: Previous intergenerational (parent to child) and transgenerational (grandparent to grandchild) studies have shown there is a link between parental and offspring birthweight. Objectives: The aim was to explore the association between the early-life weight gain of an individual and the adult height of their children and grandchildren. Methods: Study participants across three generations of the Hertfordshire Cohort Study (HCS) were included in this study. Health visitors recorded the birthweight (kg) and weight at 1 year (kg) of the original (F0 generation) HCS participants when they were born in Hertfordshire between 1931 and 1939. A conditional infant weight gain score for F0 participants was calculated using birthweight and weight at 1 year, and self-reported height (cm) of their children (F1 generation) and their grandchildren (F2 generation) was obtained from postal questionnaires. Due to the lack of clustering within family lines, linear regression analysis was used to compare intergenerational relationships. Results: Data were available from 139 F0, 148 F1, and 198 F2 participants. A positive association was found between parental birthweight (F0) and offspring adult height; on average, a 1 kg increase in F0 birthweight was associated with a 2.04 cm increase in F1 adult height (beta 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.03, 4.10). A positive association was found between F0 conditional weight gain during the first year of life and offspring (beta 1.53, 95% CI 0.45, 2.62) and grandchild height (beta 1.06, 95% CI 0.03, 2.10). Positive associations were also found between F0 weight at 1 year and offspring (beta 1.83, 95% CI 0.79, 2.87) and grandchild height (beta 0.91, 95% CI −0.10, 1.91). Conclusion: This study demonstrates an association between grandparental weight gain in early life and the heights of their children and grandchildren. The results of these analyses highlight the importance of early-life weight gain on the adult stature of subsequent offspring.
Text
130120 Intergenerational_effect_of_early_life_growth_manuscript for PURE
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 15 October 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 20 January 2020
Published date: January 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Medical Research Council and the University of Southampton, UK. We thank the men and women who participated in the Hertfordshire Cohort Study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Keywords:
family health, intergenerational health, population health, social determinants of health
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 437164
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/437164
ISSN: 0269-5022
PURE UUID: 85eff5af-70bc-415c-b76d-dc1f9e9ce75f
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Date deposited: 20 Jan 2020 17:32
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 05:07
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Author:
Camille Parsons
Author:
Sarah Carter
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