Associations of maternal educational level, proximity to green space during pregnancy, and gestational diabetes with body mass index from infancy to early adulthood: A proof-of-concept federated analysis in 18 birth cohorts
Abstract
International sharing of cohort data for research is important and challenging. We explored the feasibility of multicohort federated analyses by examining associations between 3 pregnancy exposures (maternal education, exposure to green vegetation, and gestational diabetes) and offspring body mass index (BMI) from infancy to age 17 years. We used data from 18 cohorts (n = 206,180 mother-child pairs) from the EU Child Cohort Network and derived BMI at ages 0-1, 2-3, 4-7, 8-13, and 14-17 years. Associations were estimated using linear regression via 1-stage individual participant data meta-analysis using DataSHIELD. Associations between lower maternal education and higher child BMI emerged from age 4 and increased with age (difference in BMI z score comparing low with high education, at age 2-3 years = 0.03 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.00, 0.05), at 4-7 years = 0.16 (95% CI: 0.14, 0.17), and at 8-13 years = 0.24 (95% CI: 0.22, 0.26)). Gestational diabetes was positively associated with BMI from age 8 years (BMI z score difference = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.25) but not at younger ages; however, associations attenuated towards the null when restricted to cohorts that measured gestational diabetes via universal screening. Exposure to green vegetation was weakly associated with higher BMI up to age 1 year but not at older ages. Opportunities of cross-cohort federated analyses are discussed.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
5-1-2024
Volume
193
Issue
5
PubMed ID
37856700
Publication Title
American Journal of Epidemiology
Publisher
Oxford Academic
School
Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute
RAS ID
66000
Funders
European Union's Horizon / European Research Council / Lundbeck Foundation / National institute for Health Research / The Research Council of Norway / UK Medical Research Council / UK National Institute for Health Research /
Grant Number
733206, ERC-2014-CoG-648916, R264-2017-3099, NIHR200166, 262700
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Copyright
subscription content
First Page
753
Last Page
763
Comments
Cadman, T., Elhakeem, A., Vinther, J. L., Avraam, D., Carrasco, P., Calas, L., ... & Lawlor, D. (2024). Associations of Maternal Educational Level, Proximity to Green Space During Pregnancy, and Gestational Diabetes With Body Mass Index From Infancy to Early Adulthood: A Proof-of-Concept Federated Analysis in 18 Birth Cohorts. American journal of epidemiology, 193(5), 753-763. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwad206