Does lower birth order amplify the association between high socio-economic status and central adiposity in young adult Filipino males?

Abstract

Objective

To test the hypothesis that lower birth order amplifies the positive association between socioeconomic status and central adiposity in young adult males from a lower-income, developing country context.

Design

The Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey is an ongoing community-based, observational study of a one year birth cohort (1983).

Subjects

970 young adult males, mean age 21.5 y (2005).

Measurements

Central adiposity measured by waist circumference; birth order; perinatal maternal characteristics including height, arm fat area, age, and smoking behavior; socioeconomic status at birth and in young adulthood.

Results

Lower birth order was associated with higher waist circumference and increased odds of high waist circumference, even after adjustment for socioeconomic status in young adulthood, and maternal characteristics that could impact later offspring adiposity. Furthermore, the positive association between socioeconomic status and central adiposity was amplified in individuals characterized by lower birth order.

Conclusions

This research has failed to reject the mismatch hypothesis, which posits that maternal constraint of fetal growth acts to program developing physiology in a manner that increases susceptibility to the obesogenic effects of modern environments.