Intergenerational change in anthropometry of children and adolescents in the New Delhi Birth Cohort
Intergenerational change in anthropometry of children and adolescents in the New Delhi Birth Cohort
Background: A comparison of the anthropometry of children and adolescents with that of their parents at the same age may provide a more precise measure of intergenerational changes in linear growth and body mass index (BMI). Methods: New Delhi Birth Cohort participants (F1), born between 1969 and 1972, were followed up for anthropometry at birth and at 6-monthly intervals until 21 years of age. At variable intervals 1447 children, aged 0-19 years (F2) and born to 818 F1 participants, were measured (weight and height), providing 2236 sets of anthropometries. Intergenerational changes (F2-F1) in height and BMI [absolute and standard deviation (SD) units] were computed by comparing children with their parents at corresponding ages. Results: F2 children were taller (P < 0.001) than their parents at corresponding ages; the increase {mean [95% confidence interval (CI)] World Health Organization SD units} was 0.97 (0.83, 1.11), 1.21 (1.10, 1.32), 1.09 (0.98, 1.19), 1.10 (1.00, 1.21) and 0.75 (0.65, 0.85) for age categories of 0-5, 5-7.5, 7.5-10, 10-12.5 and >12.5 years, respectively. In absolute terms, this increase ranged from 3.5 cm (0-5-year-olds) to 7.5 cm (10-12.5-year-olds). The corresponding increases in BMI SD scores were 0.32 (0.18, 0.47), 0.60 (0.45, 0.75), 1.13 (0.99, 1.27), 1.30 (1.15, 1.45) and 1.00 (0.85, 1.15), respectively. The absolute BMI increase ranged from 1-3 kg/m2 at >5 years age to ∼3 kg/m2 at >10-years of age. The intergenerational increases were comparable in both sexes, but were greater in children born and measured later. A positive change in socioeconomic status was associated with an increase in height across the generations. Conclusions: Children and adolescents, throughout the ages 0-19 years, have become considerably taller and have a higher BMI than their parents at corresponding ages in an urban middle-class Indian population undergoing socioeconomic improvements.
Anthropometry, body mass index, growth, height, intergenerational changes, obesity, secular trend
291–302
Sinha, Sikha
19a9d7f0-2f65-4c91-a263-d41f8c2ec273
Shah, Dheeraj
995459c1-d989-4897-852f-e9300238ce5a
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Fall, Caroline
7171a105-34f5-4131-89d7-1aa639893b18
Bhargava, Santosh K.
3932b4c9-c07d-472c-b54d-622306357475
Sachdev, Harshpal Singh
2fca6c24-2750-47b4-b675-7c7da6e5c987
1 February 2022
Sinha, Sikha
19a9d7f0-2f65-4c91-a263-d41f8c2ec273
Shah, Dheeraj
995459c1-d989-4897-852f-e9300238ce5a
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Fall, Caroline
7171a105-34f5-4131-89d7-1aa639893b18
Bhargava, Santosh K.
3932b4c9-c07d-472c-b54d-622306357475
Sachdev, Harshpal Singh
2fca6c24-2750-47b4-b675-7c7da6e5c987
Sinha, Sikha, Shah, Dheeraj, Osmond, Clive, Fall, Caroline, Bhargava, Santosh K. and Sachdev, Harshpal Singh
(2022)
Intergenerational change in anthropometry of children and adolescents in the New Delhi Birth Cohort.
International Journal of Epidemiology, 51 (1), .
(doi:10.1093/ije/dyab142).
Abstract
Background: A comparison of the anthropometry of children and adolescents with that of their parents at the same age may provide a more precise measure of intergenerational changes in linear growth and body mass index (BMI). Methods: New Delhi Birth Cohort participants (F1), born between 1969 and 1972, were followed up for anthropometry at birth and at 6-monthly intervals until 21 years of age. At variable intervals 1447 children, aged 0-19 years (F2) and born to 818 F1 participants, were measured (weight and height), providing 2236 sets of anthropometries. Intergenerational changes (F2-F1) in height and BMI [absolute and standard deviation (SD) units] were computed by comparing children with their parents at corresponding ages. Results: F2 children were taller (P < 0.001) than their parents at corresponding ages; the increase {mean [95% confidence interval (CI)] World Health Organization SD units} was 0.97 (0.83, 1.11), 1.21 (1.10, 1.32), 1.09 (0.98, 1.19), 1.10 (1.00, 1.21) and 0.75 (0.65, 0.85) for age categories of 0-5, 5-7.5, 7.5-10, 10-12.5 and >12.5 years, respectively. In absolute terms, this increase ranged from 3.5 cm (0-5-year-olds) to 7.5 cm (10-12.5-year-olds). The corresponding increases in BMI SD scores were 0.32 (0.18, 0.47), 0.60 (0.45, 0.75), 1.13 (0.99, 1.27), 1.30 (1.15, 1.45) and 1.00 (0.85, 1.15), respectively. The absolute BMI increase ranged from 1-3 kg/m2 at >5 years age to ∼3 kg/m2 at >10-years of age. The intergenerational increases were comparable in both sexes, but were greater in children born and measured later. A positive change in socioeconomic status was associated with an increase in height across the generations. Conclusions: Children and adolescents, throughout the ages 0-19 years, have become considerably taller and have a higher BMI than their parents at corresponding ages in an urban middle-class Indian population undergoing socioeconomic improvements.
Text
NDBC intergenerational 2 IJE full ms merged accepted version
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 24 June 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 July 2021
Published date: 1 February 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The New Delhi Birth Cohort has received funding from the Indian Council of Medical Research (50/1-3/TF/05-NCD-II; 3/1/2/2/15- RCH; No. 5/10/FR/10/2019-RCH
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s) 2021; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.
Keywords:
Anthropometry, body mass index, growth, height, intergenerational changes, obesity, secular trend
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 450034
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/450034
ISSN: 0300-5771
PURE UUID: 31fbd554-eeca-4203-9ba1-adad57c02a15
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Date deposited: 06 Jul 2021 16:31
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 06:40
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Contributors
Author:
Sikha Sinha
Author:
Dheeraj Shah
Author:
Santosh K. Bhargava
Author:
Harshpal Singh Sachdev
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