title: The association of birth weight and infant growth with childhood autonomic nervous system activity and its mediating effects on energy-balance-related behaviours-the ABCD study.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of birth weight and infant growth with childhood autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and to assess whether ANS activity mediates the associations of birth weight and infant growth with energy-balance-related behaviours, including energy intake, satiety response, physical activity and screen time.
  
  
  
  In 2089 children, we prospectively collected birth weight, infant growth defined as conditional weight and height gain between birth and 12 months and-at 5 years-indices of cardiac ANS activity and parent-reported energy-balance-related behaviours. A mediation analysis was conducted, based on MacKinnon's multivariate extension of the product-of-coefficients strategy.
  
  
  
  Birth weight and infant height gain were inversely associated with sympathetic, but not parasympathetic, activity at age 5. Infant weight gain was not associated with childhood ANS activity. Infant weight gain was predictive of increased childhood screen time and infant height gain of diminished childhood energy intake, but sympathetic activity did not mediate these associations.
  
  
  
  Low-birth-weight children have higher sympathetic activity, which is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Height gain in infancy seems to be beneficial for childhood sympathetic activity. However, sympathetic activity was no mediator of the associations of infant growth with childhood energy-balance-related behaviours. As individual differences in ANS activity predict increased risk of cardiovascular disease, these differences may offer insight into the early-life origins of chronic diseases and provide further basis for public health strategies to optimize birth weight and infant growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, EMGO Institute for Health & Care Research, Institute for Cardiovascular Research VU, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, a.vandeutekom@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Arend W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: van Deutekom
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO institute for Health & Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mai Jm
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chinapaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and.
authors.forename: Maaike Gj
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Gademan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, EMGO Institute for Health & Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jos Wr
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Twisk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, EMGO Institute for Health & Care Research, Institute for Cardiovascular Research VU, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Reinoud Jbj
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Gemke
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and.
authors.forename: Tanja Gm
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Vrijkotte
mesh_terms: D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002149:Energy Intake; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: autonomic nervous system activity; birth weight; developmental origins of health and disease; infant growth; mediation analysis