title: Is glycosylated haemoglobin associated with psychosocial stress in non-diabetic 6-year-olds?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), a marker of diabetic glycemic control, is associated with chronic psychosocial stress in non-diabetic adults. This study aimed to determine whether HbA1c also acts as a biomarker of psychosocial stress in healthy 6-year-olds.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible participants were 326 children recruited from 6 socio-economically diverse areas in Melbourne, Australia, who took part in an earlier randomised trial for sleep problems at age 7 months. At 6 years, they participated in a follow-up assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HbA1c collected by finger-prick. Exposures (collected simultaneously): proxy measures of child stress including: (i) child mental health; (ii) maternal mental health (depression, anxiety, stress), negative life events in the preceding year, life stresses and coping; and (iii) family socioeconomic status and financial stress.
  
  
  METHODS
  linear regressions, adjusted for original randomisation status and clustering.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty percent (134/225) of children retained at 6 years provided HbA1c data, which ranged from 3.9%-5.8% (SD 0.3%). No child or family variable was associated with HbA1c. Of the maternal variables, only anxiety predicted HbA1c (adjusted difference per point increase: -0.01, 95% CI: -0.003 to 0.02, P = 0.01); this association was in the opposite direction to that hypothesised and clinically insignificant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HbA1c was not associated with psychosocial stress in healthy 6-year-olds. This suggests that any link between HbA1c and psychosocial stress emerges after this age, and that HbA1c is unlikely to be a reliable biomarker for stress in early childhood or over the transition to school.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Community Child Health, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Anna Mh
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Talia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maayan
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wake
authors.forename: Harriet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hiscock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin
keywords: child; glycosylated; haemoglobin A; mental health; psychological.; socioeconomic factors; stress