Patterns of Growth in Childhood in Relation to Adult Schooling Attainment and Intelligence Quotient in 6 Birth Cohorts in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence from the Consortium of Health-Oriented Research in Transitioning Societies (COHORTS)
Patterns of Growth in Childhood in Relation to Adult Schooling Attainment and Intelligence Quotient in 6 Birth Cohorts in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence from the Consortium of Health-Oriented Research in Transitioning Societies (COHORTS)
BACKGROUND: Growth faltering has been associated with poor intellectual performance. The relative strengths of associations between growth in early and in later childhood remain underexplored. OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between growth in childhood and adult human capital in 5 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: We analyzed data from 9503 participants in 6 prospective birth cohorts from 5 LMICs (Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa). We used linear and quasi-Poisson regression models to assess the associations between measures of height and relative weight at 4 age intervals [birth, age ∼2 y, midchildhood (MC), adulthood] and 2 dimensions of adult human capital [schooling attainment and Intelligence Quotient (IQ)]. RESULTS: Meta-analysis of site- and sex-specific estimates showed statistically significant associations between size at birth and height at ∼2 y and the 2 outcomes (P < 0.001). Weight and length at birth and linear growth from birth to ∼2 y of age (1 z-score difference) were positively associated with schooling attainment (β: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.19, β: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.32, and β: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.40, respectively) and adult IQ (β: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.35, 1.14, β: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.35, 1.10, and β: 1.52, 95% CI: 0.96, 2.08, respectively). Linear growth from age 2 y to MC and from MC to adulthood was not associated with higher school attainment or IQ. Change in relative weight in early childhood, MC, and adulthood was not associated with either outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Linear growth in the first 1000 d is a predictor of schooling attainment and IQ in adulthood in LMICs. Linear growth in later periods was not associated with either of these outcomes. Changes in relative weight across the life course were not associated with schooling and IQ in adulthood.
cohort studies, conditional height, conditional relative weight, growth, intelligence quotient, schooling attainment
2342-2352
Poveda, Natalia E.
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Hartwig, Fernando P.
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Victora, Cesar G.
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Adair, Linda S.
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Barros, Fernando C.
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Bhargava, Santosh K.
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Horta, Bernardo L.
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Lee, Nanette R.
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Martorell, Reynaldo
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Mazariegos, Mónica
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Menezes, Ana M.B.
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Norris, Shane A.
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Richter, Linda M.
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Sachdev, Harshpal Singh
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Stein, Alan
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Wehrmeister, Fernando C.
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Stein, Aryeh D.
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August 2021
Poveda, Natalia E.
5c668613-012d-4125-bc77-7e24e8c07c86
Hartwig, Fernando P.
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Victora, Cesar G.
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Adair, Linda S.
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Barros, Fernando C.
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Bhargava, Santosh K.
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Horta, Bernardo L.
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Lee, Nanette R.
9886b407-ae63-4c62-a948-0e55cd2a7fa6
Martorell, Reynaldo
d120786d-e651-446d-a96a-d175de202d5b
Mazariegos, Mónica
bbdaf9c4-de5b-473f-9704-ded488247f55
Menezes, Ana M.B.
5839aff3-6fcf-42a7-a508-b5faca626eb8
Norris, Shane A.
1d346f1b-6d5f-4bca-ac87-7589851b75a4
Richter, Linda M.
2a818b1f-3798-4e6e-841d-c19bbb74bac2
Sachdev, Harshpal Singh
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Stein, Alan
ba341b04-0b18-411a-9926-44182a628a1d
Wehrmeister, Fernando C.
cc6eab3d-6066-4b6b-abba-ac07076b5709
Stein, Aryeh D.
5ee08d0c-2313-4d74-bfcf-49e9bfabc36d
Poveda, Natalia E., Hartwig, Fernando P., Victora, Cesar G., Adair, Linda S., Barros, Fernando C., Bhargava, Santosh K., Horta, Bernardo L., Lee, Nanette R., Martorell, Reynaldo, Mazariegos, Mónica, Menezes, Ana M.B., Norris, Shane A., Richter, Linda M., Sachdev, Harshpal Singh, Stein, Alan, Wehrmeister, Fernando C. and Stein, Aryeh D.
,
COHORTS Group
(2021)
Patterns of Growth in Childhood in Relation to Adult Schooling Attainment and Intelligence Quotient in 6 Birth Cohorts in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence from the Consortium of Health-Oriented Research in Transitioning Societies (COHORTS).
The Journal of nutrition, 151 (8), .
(doi:10.1093/jn/nxab096).
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Growth faltering has been associated with poor intellectual performance. The relative strengths of associations between growth in early and in later childhood remain underexplored. OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between growth in childhood and adult human capital in 5 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: We analyzed data from 9503 participants in 6 prospective birth cohorts from 5 LMICs (Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa). We used linear and quasi-Poisson regression models to assess the associations between measures of height and relative weight at 4 age intervals [birth, age ∼2 y, midchildhood (MC), adulthood] and 2 dimensions of adult human capital [schooling attainment and Intelligence Quotient (IQ)]. RESULTS: Meta-analysis of site- and sex-specific estimates showed statistically significant associations between size at birth and height at ∼2 y and the 2 outcomes (P < 0.001). Weight and length at birth and linear growth from birth to ∼2 y of age (1 z-score difference) were positively associated with schooling attainment (β: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.19, β: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.32, and β: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.40, respectively) and adult IQ (β: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.35, 1.14, β: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.35, 1.10, and β: 1.52, 95% CI: 0.96, 2.08, respectively). Linear growth from age 2 y to MC and from MC to adulthood was not associated with higher school attainment or IQ. Change in relative weight in early childhood, MC, and adulthood was not associated with either outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Linear growth in the first 1000 d is a predictor of schooling attainment and IQ in adulthood in LMICs. Linear growth in later periods was not associated with either of these outcomes. Changes in relative weight across the life course were not associated with schooling and IQ in adulthood.
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nxab096
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Accepted/In Press date: 15 March 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 12 May 2021
Published date: August 2021
Keywords:
cohort studies, conditional height, conditional relative weight, growth, intelligence quotient, schooling attainment
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 453798
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/453798
ISSN: 0022-3166
PURE UUID: d609b78d-af15-4a21-ac0f-bb56c6818a6e
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Date deposited: 24 Jan 2022 17:50
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:57
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Contributors
Author:
Natalia E. Poveda
Author:
Fernando P. Hartwig
Author:
Cesar G. Victora
Author:
Linda S. Adair
Author:
Fernando C. Barros
Author:
Santosh K. Bhargava
Author:
Bernardo L. Horta
Author:
Nanette R. Lee
Author:
Reynaldo Martorell
Author:
Mónica Mazariegos
Author:
Ana M.B. Menezes
Author:
Linda M. Richter
Author:
Harshpal Singh Sachdev
Author:
Alan Stein
Author:
Fernando C. Wehrmeister
Author:
Aryeh D. Stein
Corporate Author: COHORTS Group
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