Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors
Background: It has been suggested that the association between birthweight and blood pressure has been overstated as a result of publication bias and, within studies, a lack of adjustment for potentially important maternal and socioeconomic confounding factors and ‘overadjustment’ for current body s...
Published in: | European Journal of Public Health |
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Oxford University Press
2006
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fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:eurpub:16/1/21 2023-05-15T16:10:58+02:00 Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors Hardy, Rebecca Sovio, Ulla King, Vanessa J. Skidmore, Paula M.L. Helmsdal, Gunnhild Olsen, Sjurdur F. Emmett, Pauline M. Wadsworth, Michael E.J. Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta the EURO-BLCS Study Group 2006-02-01 00:00:00.0 text/html http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/16/1/21 https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 en eng Oxford University Press http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/16/1/21 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 Copyright (C) 2006, Oxford University Press European Perspectives TEXT 2006 fthighwire https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 2007-06-24T19:33:09Z Background: It has been suggested that the association between birthweight and blood pressure has been overstated as a result of publication bias and, within studies, a lack of adjustment for potentially important maternal and socioeconomic confounding factors and ‘overadjustment’ for current body size. This study investigates the impact of potential confounding variables on the birthweight–blood pressure association in birth cohort studies from different time periods and geographical locations in Europe. Methods: Data from five European birth cohort studies (from Finland, the UK, and the Faroe Islands) taking part in the European Birth-Lifecourse-Studies (EURO-BLCS) project were analysed. Birthweight was measured at birth in all cohorts and confounding variable information was collected prospectively at subsequent follow-ups in all cohorts. Regression models were used to assess the unadjusted association between birthweight and blood pressure and then to assess the impact of potential maternal and socioeconomic confounding variables and adjustment for later body size. Analyses were carried out in the same way across all five cohorts. Results: Birthweight was consistently negatively associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) across all cohorts. Gestational age and possibly maternal pre-pregnancy weight, but not socioeconomic status, may be important confounding factors of the relationship between birthweight and SBP. The size of the birthweight–SBP association in adulthood may be larger than in childhood before adjustment for current body size, although a cohort effect cannot be ruled out. Conclusion: This study highlights the value of future cross-cohort comparisons in the investigation of the foetal origins of adult disease. Text Faroe Islands HighWire Press (Stanford University) Faroe Islands European Journal of Public Health 16 1 21 30 |
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HighWire Press (Stanford University) |
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language |
English |
topic |
European Perspectives |
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European Perspectives Hardy, Rebecca Sovio, Ulla King, Vanessa J. Skidmore, Paula M.L. Helmsdal, Gunnhild Olsen, Sjurdur F. Emmett, Pauline M. Wadsworth, Michael E.J. Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta the EURO-BLCS Study Group Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors |
topic_facet |
European Perspectives |
description |
Background: It has been suggested that the association between birthweight and blood pressure has been overstated as a result of publication bias and, within studies, a lack of adjustment for potentially important maternal and socioeconomic confounding factors and ‘overadjustment’ for current body size. This study investigates the impact of potential confounding variables on the birthweight–blood pressure association in birth cohort studies from different time periods and geographical locations in Europe. Methods: Data from five European birth cohort studies (from Finland, the UK, and the Faroe Islands) taking part in the European Birth-Lifecourse-Studies (EURO-BLCS) project were analysed. Birthweight was measured at birth in all cohorts and confounding variable information was collected prospectively at subsequent follow-ups in all cohorts. Regression models were used to assess the unadjusted association between birthweight and blood pressure and then to assess the impact of potential maternal and socioeconomic confounding variables and adjustment for later body size. Analyses were carried out in the same way across all five cohorts. Results: Birthweight was consistently negatively associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) across all cohorts. Gestational age and possibly maternal pre-pregnancy weight, but not socioeconomic status, may be important confounding factors of the relationship between birthweight and SBP. The size of the birthweight–SBP association in adulthood may be larger than in childhood before adjustment for current body size, although a cohort effect cannot be ruled out. Conclusion: This study highlights the value of future cross-cohort comparisons in the investigation of the foetal origins of adult disease. |
format |
Text |
author |
Hardy, Rebecca Sovio, Ulla King, Vanessa J. Skidmore, Paula M.L. Helmsdal, Gunnhild Olsen, Sjurdur F. Emmett, Pauline M. Wadsworth, Michael E.J. Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta the EURO-BLCS Study Group |
author_facet |
Hardy, Rebecca Sovio, Ulla King, Vanessa J. Skidmore, Paula M.L. Helmsdal, Gunnhild Olsen, Sjurdur F. Emmett, Pauline M. Wadsworth, Michael E.J. Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta the EURO-BLCS Study Group |
author_sort |
Hardy, Rebecca |
title |
Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors |
title_short |
Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors |
title_full |
Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors |
title_fullStr |
Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors |
title_full_unstemmed |
Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors |
title_sort |
birthweight and blood pressure in five european birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors |
publisher |
Oxford University Press |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/16/1/21 https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 |
geographic |
Faroe Islands |
geographic_facet |
Faroe Islands |
genre |
Faroe Islands |
genre_facet |
Faroe Islands |
op_relation |
http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/16/1/21 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 |
op_rights |
Copyright (C) 2006, Oxford University Press |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 |
container_title |
European Journal of Public Health |
container_volume |
16 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
21 |
op_container_end_page |
30 |
_version_ |
1765996093443670016 |