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FROM BIRTH TO ADULTHOOD: ANTHROPOMETRICTRAJECTORIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR CHRONICDISEASES IN GUATEMALA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2018

Carmen D. Ng Open the ORCID record for Carmen D. Ng [Opens in a new window]
Carmen D. Ng*
Affiliation:
Graduate Group in Demography, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Abstract

The objective of this paper was to study nutritionalstatus and growth, as measured by height and weight,over the life course and their connection withchronic diseases in Guatemala, a country with highlevels of child undernutrition and adultovernutrition, using data from the Institute ofNutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP)Nutrition Trial Cohort study. The study samplecomprised a birth cohort of 1570 individuals who haddata in the original 1969–1977 survey as well as the2002–2004 follow-up, allowing for an analysis of thenutritional transition from childhood to adulthood.The associations between childhood and adulthoodanthropometrics were analysed, and the links ofthese with chronic disease indicators were assessedusing multiple regression analysis and structuralequation modelling. Moving upwards in nutritionalstatus from childhood to adulthood was observedfrequently in the study population. Unlike sex andplace of residence, early anthropometrics were notgenerally found to be associated with adult bodymass index (BMI). However, direct relationships werefound between childhood nutritional status andgrowth and adulthood high-density lipoprotein (HDL)cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting bloodglucose. Furthermore, these relationships were notmediated by BMI. The findings were not sensitive tothe metric of childhood anthropometrics, as the useof length-for-age, weight-for-age andweight-for-length all resulted in similarconclusions. These relationships demonstrate theimportance of early childhood conditions forlater-life outcomes. However, the lack of suchrelationships for blood pressure suggests that thebiological links between childhood anthropometricsand various chronic diseases might vary.

Keywords

Child health and nutritionNon-communicable diseasesPopulation health

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , March 2019 , pp. 292 - 306
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2018 

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