title: Comparison of father-offspring and mother-offspring associations of cardiovascular risk factors: family linkage within the population-based HUNT Study, Norway.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular risk factors are transmitted from parents to offspring; however, the relative contributions of fathers and mothers remain unclear. If maternal exposures during pregnancy influence offspring through the intrauterine environment, associations between mothers and offspring are expected to be stronger than between fathers and offspring. In this family linkage study we compared father-offspring and mother-offspring associations of several cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 36,528 father-mother-offspring trios who participated at one or more surveys of the HUNT Study, Norway in 1984-86, 1995-97 and 2006-08. Parent-offspring associations were assessed using unstandardized and standardized residuals from linear regression analysis, and possible non-paternity was accounted for in sensitivity analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age- and sex-adjusted parent-offspring associations for anthropometric factors, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose and resting heart rate were largely similar between fathers and mothers. Use of standardized values and analyses adjusted for non-paternity further emphasized this similarity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found largely similar father-offspring and mother-offspring associations across all cardiovascular risk factors under study, arguing against strong maternal effects transmitted through intrauterine mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (RHA), Stjørdal, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, Department of Public Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UKDepartment of Human Movement Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (RHA), Stjørdal, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, Department of Public Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK kirsti.lund.vik@svt.ntnu.no.
authors.forename: Kirsti L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Vik
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (RHA), Stjørdal, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, Department of Public Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Pål
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Romundstad
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (RHA), Stjørdal, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, Department of Public Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carslake
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (RHA), Stjørdal, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, Department of Public Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: George Davey
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (RHA), Stjørdal, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, Department of Public Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Tom I L
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Nilsen
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D009035:Mothers; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; epidemiology; intergenerational relations; risk factors