title: Early Weight Gain, Linear Growth, and Mid-Childhood Blood Pressure: A Prospective Study in Project Viva.
abstract: In recent years, the prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension increased markedly among children and adolescents, highlighting the importance of identifying determinants of elevated blood pressure early in life. Low birth weight and rapid early childhood weight gain are associated with higher future blood pressure. However, few studies have examined the timing of postnatal weight gain in relation to later blood pressure, and little is known regarding the contribution of linear growth. We studied 957 participants in Project Viva, an ongoing US prebirth cohort. We examined the relations of gains in body mass index z-score and length/height z-score during 4 early life age intervals (birth to 6 months, 6 months to 1 year, 1 to 2 years, and 2 to 3 years) with blood pressure during mid-childhood (6-10 years) and evaluated whether these relations differed by birth size. After accounting for confounders, each additional z-score gain in body mass index during birth to 6 months and 2 to 3 years was associated with 0.81 (0.15, 1.46) and 1.61 (0.33, 2.89) mm Hg higher systolic blood pressure, respectively. Length/height gain was unrelated to mid-childhood blood pressure, and there was no evidence of effect modification by birth size for body mass index or length/height z-score gain. Our findings suggest that more rapid gain in body mass index during the first 6 postnatal months and in the preschool years may lead to higher systolic blood pressure in mid-childhood, regardless of size at birth. Strategies to reduce accrual of excess adiposity during early life may reduce mid-childhood blood pressure, which may also impact adult blood pressure and cardiovascular health.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI (W.P.); Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA (S.L.R.-S., E.O., M.W.G.); Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (M.S.K.); Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Institute of Preventive Medicine; Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (E.O., M.W.G.); and Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (M.B.B.). perngwei@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Perng
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI (W.P.); Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA (S.L.R.-S., E.O., M.W.G.); Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (M.S.K.); Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Institute of Preventive Medicine; Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (E.O., M.W.G.); and Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (M.B.B.).
authors.forename: Sheryl L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rifas-Shiman
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI (W.P.); Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA (S.L.R.-S., E.O., M.W.G.); Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (M.S.K.); Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Institute of Preventive Medicine; Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (E.O., M.W.G.); and Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (M.B.B.).
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI (W.P.); Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA (S.L.R.-S., E.O., M.W.G.); Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (M.S.K.); Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Institute of Preventive Medicine; Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (E.O., M.W.G.); and Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (M.B.B.).
authors.forename: Line K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Haugaard
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI (W.P.); Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA (S.L.R.-S., E.O., M.W.G.); Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (M.S.K.); Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Institute of Preventive Medicine; Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (E.O., M.W.G.); and Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (M.B.B.).
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oken
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI (W.P.); Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA (S.L.R.-S., E.O., M.W.G.); Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (M.S.K.); Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Institute of Preventive Medicine; Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (E.O., M.W.G.); and Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (M.B.B.).
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Gillman
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI (W.P.); Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA (S.L.R.-S., E.O., M.W.G.); Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (M.S.K.); Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Institute of Preventive Medicine; Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, Denmark (L.K.H.); Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (E.O., M.W.G.); and Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (M.B.B.).
authors.forename: Mandy B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Belfort
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adiposity; blood pressure; children; length gain; linear growth; weight gain