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 curr...
Published in: | European Journal of Public Health |
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2006
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ftlshtm:oai:researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk:3561 2024-09-15T18:05:42+00:00 Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors. Hardy, Rebecca Sovio, Ulla King, Vanessa J Skidmore, Paula ML Helmsdal, Gunnhild Olsen, Sjurdur F Emmett, Pauline M Wadsworth, Michael EJ Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta EURO-BLCS Study Group 2006 https://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/id/eprint/3561/ unknown Oxford University Press (OUP) Hardy, Rebecca; Sovio, Ulla; King, Vanessa J; Skidmore, Paula ML; Helmsdal, Gunnhild; Olsen, Sjurdur F; Emmett, Pauline M; Wadsworth, Michael EJ; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; EURO-BLCS Study Group; (2006) Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors. European journal of public health, 16 (1). pp. 21-30. ISSN 1101-1262 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 <https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171> Article PeerReviewed 2006 ftlshtm https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 2024-07-19T04:44:16Z 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Faroe Islands London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: LSHTM Research Online European Journal of Public Health 16 1 21 30 |
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London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: LSHTM Research Online |
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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 |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hardy, Rebecca Sovio, Ulla King, Vanessa J Skidmore, Paula ML Helmsdal, Gunnhild Olsen, Sjurdur F Emmett, Pauline M Wadsworth, Michael EJ Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta EURO-BLCS Study Group |
spellingShingle |
Hardy, Rebecca Sovio, Ulla King, Vanessa J Skidmore, Paula ML Helmsdal, Gunnhild Olsen, Sjurdur F Emmett, Pauline M Wadsworth, Michael EJ Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta EURO-BLCS Study Group Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors. |
author_facet |
Hardy, Rebecca Sovio, Ulla King, Vanessa J Skidmore, Paula ML Helmsdal, Gunnhild Olsen, Sjurdur F Emmett, Pauline M Wadsworth, Michael EJ Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta 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 (OUP) |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
https://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/id/eprint/3561/ |
genre |
Faroe Islands |
genre_facet |
Faroe Islands |
op_relation |
Hardy, Rebecca; Sovio, Ulla; King, Vanessa J; Skidmore, Paula ML; Helmsdal, Gunnhild; Olsen, Sjurdur F; Emmett, Pauline M; Wadsworth, Michael EJ; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; EURO-BLCS Study Group; (2006) Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors. European journal of public health, 16 (1). pp. 21-30. ISSN 1101-1262 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171 <https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki171> |
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_ |
1810443221584576512 |