title: Early origins of ethnic disparities in cardiovascular risk factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Not much is known about the ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors during childhood in European countries. We examined the ethnic differences in childhood cardiovascular risk factors in the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a multi-ethnic population-based prospective cohort study, we measured blood pressure, left ventricular mass, and levels of cholesterol, triglyceride and insulin at the median age of 6.2years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As compared to Dutch children, Cape Verdean and Turkish children had a higher blood pressure, whereas Cape Verdean, Surinamese-Creole and Turkish children had higher total-cholesterol levels (p-values<0.05). Turkish children had higher triglyceride levels, but lower insulin levels than Dutch children (p-values<0.05). As compared to Dutch children, only Turkish children had an increased risk of clustering of cardiovascular risk factors (odds ratio: 2.45 (95% confidence interval 1.18, 3.37)). Parental pre-pregnancy factors explained up to 50% of the ethnic differences in childhood risk factors. In addition to these factors, pregnancy and childhood factors and childhood BMI explained up to 50%, 12.5% and 61.1%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that compared to Dutch children, Cape Verdean, Surinamese-Creole and Turkish children have an adverse cardiovascular profile. These differences are largely explained by parental pre-pregnancy factors, pregnancy factors and childhood BMI.
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olta
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gishti
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Romy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Janine F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Selma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bouthoorn
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Steegers
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raat
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duijts
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Oscar H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: v.jaddoe@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Vincent W V
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Jaddoe
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D055726:Cabo Verde / Q000208:ethnology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013532:Suriname / Q000208:ethnology; D014421:Turkey / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids
keywords: Ethnicity; Hypertension; Insulin; Lipids; Pediatrics