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Epidemiology and Population Health

Sex-specific associations of birth weight with measures of adiposity in mid-to-late adulthood: the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

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Abstract

Background/Objectives:

To investigate sex-specific associations of birth weight with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in mid-to-late adulthood.

Subjects/Methods:

ELSA-Brasil is a multicenter cohort study of adults aged 35–74 years affiliated with universities or research institutions of six capital cities in Brazil. After exclusions, we investigated 11 636 participants. Socio-demographic factors and birth weight were obtained by interview. All anthropometry was directly measured at baseline. We categorized birth weight as low (⩽2.5 kg); normal (2.5–4 kg) and high (⩾4 kg). We performed analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for continuous outcomes and ordinal logistic regression for categorical adiposity outcomes. We examined interaction on the multiplicative scale by sex and by race.

Results:

High birth weight uniformly predicted greater overall and central obesity in men and women. However, low (vs normal) birth weight, in ANCOVA models adjusted for participant age, family income, race, education, maternal education, and maternal and paternal history of diabetes, was associated with lower BMI, WC and WHR means for men, but not for women (Pinteraction=0.01, <0.0001 and <0.0001, respectively). In similarly adjusted ordinal logistic regression models, odds of obesity (odds ratio (OR)=0.65, 0.46–0.90) and of being in the high (vs low) tertile of WC (OR=0.66, 0.50–0.87) and of WHR (OR=0.79, 0.60–1.03) were lower for low (vs normal) birth weight men, but trended higher (BMI: OR=1.18, 0.92–1.51; WC: OR=1.21, 0.97–1.53; WHR: OR=1.44, 1.15–1.82) for low (vs normal) birth weight women.

Conclusions:

In this Brazilian sample of middle-aged and elderly adults who have lived through a rapid nutritional transition, low birth weight was associated with adult adiposity in a sex-specific manner. In men, low birth weight was associated with lower overall and central adult adiposity, while in women low birth weight was generally associated with greater central adiposity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (Science and Technology Department) and the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos - FINEP and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - CNPq) (grant numbers 01 06 0010.00 RS, 01 06 0212.00 BA, 01 06 0300.00 ES, 01 06 0278.00 MG, 01 06 0115.00 SP, 01 06 0071.00 RJ).

Author contributions

MIS and BBD conceived the study, interpreted the data and prepared the final manuscript. VL, GR, MCS and AV analyzed and interpreted the data and prepared the final manuscript. NTM interpreted the data and prepared the final manuscript. SMB and IMB conceived the study and assisted in drafting the manuscript. SMAM, MJMF and LJA assisted in drafting the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    G Rockenbach, V C Luft, B B Duncan, Á Vigo & M I Schmidt

  2. Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    V C Luft, B B Duncan & M I Schmidt

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    N T Mueller & L J Appel

  4. Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    N T Mueller & L J Appel

  5. Statistics Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    M C Stein & Á Vigo

  6. Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil

    S M A Matos

  7. Department of Epidemiology, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    M J M Fonseca

  8. Postgraduate Program in Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    S M Barreto

  9. Center for Clinical and Epidemiological Research, University Hospital, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    I M Benseñor

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  1. G Rockenbach
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  2. V C Luft
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  3. N T Mueller
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  4. B B Duncan
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  5. M C Stein
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  6. Á Vigo
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  7. S M A Matos
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  8. M J M Fonseca
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  9. S M Barreto
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  10. I M Benseñor
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  11. L J Appel
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  12. M I Schmidt
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Correspondence to M I Schmidt.

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Rockenbach, G., Luft, V., Mueller, N. et al. Sex-specific associations of birth weight with measures of adiposity in mid-to-late adulthood: the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Int J Obes 40, 1286–1291 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2016.76

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