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Biomedical Research↗
Biomedical subjects
Michael Wadsworth
Publications and source records attributed to Michael Wadsworth.
Developmental origins of midlife physical performance: evidence from a British birth cohort.
The authors hypothesized that 1) physical growth, as a marker of the early development of muscle fibers, and 2) advanced childhood motor and cognitive abilities, as markers of central nervous system development, would be positively related to midlife standing balance and chair rising, independently of later life experiences. They tested these hypotheses in a representative British sample of 1,374 men and 1,410 women aged 53 years in 1999 with prospective childhood measures of heights and weights, age at first standing and walking, cognitive ability, and motor coordination. Weight gain before age 7 years was positively related to adult performance in men but not women, independently of later body size, social class, physical activity, and health status. Attainment of motor milestones at the modal age and higher scores on tests of cognitive ability and motor coordination were associated with better performance, independently of other factors. This study is the first to show that childhood growth and development affect midlife performance; prevention of disability and frailty in later life may need to start early.
Adolescent↗
Developmental origins of midlife grip strength: findings from a birth cohort study.
BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that the prenatal environment has long-term effects on adult grip strength, but little is known about the effects of the postnatal environment. We tested whether prepubertal growth, pubertal growth, or the development of motor and cognitive capabilities was associated with midlife muscle strength independently of other determinants of grip strength. METHODS: Handgrip strength and body size were measured in a representative British sample of 1406 men and 1444 women 53 years old with prospective childhood data. Normal regression models were used to examine the effects of birth weight, postnatal height and weight gain before 7 years and between 7 and 15 years, motor milestones and cognitive ability on grip strength at age 53, taking account of lifetime social class, current physical activity, and health status. RESULTS: Birth weight and prepubertal height gain were associated with midlife grip strength, independently of later weight and height gain and other determinants. Pubertal growth was also independently associated with midlife grip strength; for men weight gain during puberty was beneficial, whereas for women it was height gain. Those participants with earlier infant motor development had better midlife grip strength, which was partly confounded by the growth trajectory. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that components of prenatal, prepubertal, and pubertal growth have long-term effects on midlife grip strength. To the extent that these associations are modifiable, interventions in childhood that help to build muscle mass and strength, such as increased physical exercise, may have long-term beneficial effects on adult muscle strength and may help to prevent sarcopenia, disability, and frailty in later life.
Adolescent↗
Cohort Profile: The 1946 National Birth Cohort (MRC National Survey of Health and Development).
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Adolescent↗
Relation between children's height and outdoor air pollution from coal-burning sources in the British 1946 birth cohort.
OBJECTIVE: Air pollution is associated with a number of health outcomes in childhood. In this study, we investigated whether air pollution is related to children's height. METHODS: The 1946 British birth cohort study recruited 5,362 children born in 1 week in March 1946. Height was measured when the children were aged 2, 4, 6, 7, 11 and 15 years. Data on socio-economic conditions and other characteristics were obtained in interviews. Areas of children's residence were categorised into four groups of air pollution on the basis of published coal-consumption data. RESULTS: After controlling for socio-economic factors, we found that air pollution was associated with children's height at several ages. The association, adjusted for socio-economic factors, was strongest at the age of 7 years, when children in the most polluted areas were 1.2 (95% confidence interval 0.5-1.8) cm shorter than those in the least polluted areas. After the age of 7 years the effect of air pollution diminished and disappeared by the age of 15 years. Further adjustment for birth weight and respiratory illness in childhood did not change this pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Children's height was inversely associated with air pollution, but the magnitude of the effect depended on age. However, the biological mechanisms linking children's growth with air pollution are not evident, and it remains to be confirmed whether the relationship is genuine and causal.
Adolescent↗
Patterns of interphalangeal hand joint involvement of osteoarthritis among men and women: a British cohort study.
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the pattern of involvement of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand among men and women of the same age. METHODS: Structured hand examinations were performed on 1,467 men and 1,519 women who were age 53 years and born in England, Scotland, or Wales during the first week of March 1946 (identified through the United Kingdom National Survey of Health and Development). OA at each joint site was characterized using a previously validated examination schedule. The interrelationship of involvement of different hand joints was analyzed by logistic regression and cluster analyses. RESULTS: There was clear evidence of polyarticular involvement in the hand joints of both the men and the women. Among the women, 161 subjects had >/=4 joints involved, compared with only 41 subjects expected in this category (P < 0.001). Among the men, 87 subjects were observed to have >/=4 joints involved, in contrast with only 7 subjects expected (P < 0.001). The pattern of hand joint involvement (characterized by clustering primarily by row and symmetric joint involvement, rather than clustering by ray) was found to be almost identical between the men and the women. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the existence of a polyarticular subset of OA among men that has characteristics similar to those of the variant observed among women. The data suggest that the genetic or metabolic influences underlying this particular variant of OA acts similarly in both sexes.
Cluster Analysis↗
Relationship between birthweight and blood lipid concentrations in later life: evidence from the existing literature.
BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that there is a link between fetal growth and chronic diseases later in life. Several studies have shown a negative association between birthweight and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Far fewer studies have focused on the association between size at birth and blood lipid concentrations. We have conducted a qualitative assessment of the direction and consistency of the relationship between size at birth and blood lipid concentrations to see whether the suggested relationship between intrauterine growth and cardiovascular diseases is mediated by lipid metabolism. METHODS: A literature search covering the period January 1966 to January 2003 was performed using Medline, Embase, and Web of Science. All papers written in English and reporting the relationship between size at birth and lipid levels in humans were assessed. Bibliographies were searched for further publications. RESULTS: From an initial screen of 1198 references, 39 papers were included involving 28 578 individuals. There was no consistent relationship between size at birth and blood lipid levels; the one exception being triglyceride concentration, which showed statistically significant negative or U-shaped, but not positive, relationships with birthweight. CONCLUSION: This review does not strongly support a link between birthweight and blood lipid levels in later life. However, the research in this area is limited and in order to make any definitive conclusions, longitudinal studies with sufficient power, data, and prospective follow-up are needed.
Birth Weight↗
Birth weight, childhood size, and muscle strength in adult life: evidence from a birth cohort study.
Environmental influences during gestation may have long-term effects on adult muscle strength. It is not known how early in adult life such effects are manifest and whether they are modified by childhood body size. The authors examined the relation between birth weight and hand grip strength in a prospective national birth cohort of 1,371 men and 1,404 women from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development who were aged 53 years in 1999. A positive relation between birth weight and adult grip strength remained after adjustment first for adult height and weight and then additionally for childhood height and weight (p = 0.006 for men and p = 0.01 for women). The effects of birth weight on grip strength did not vary by childhood or current body size and were not confounded by social class. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to show that birth weight has an important influence on muscle strength in midlife independent of later body size and social class. It suggests that birth weight is related to the number of muscle fibers established by birth and that even in middle age compensating hypertrophy may be inadequate. As the inevitable loss of muscle fibers proceeds in old age, a deficit in the number of fibers could threaten quality of life and independence.
Birth Weight↗
Lung function and cognitive ability in a longitudinal birth cohort study.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the association between forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and cognitive ability in midlife in the normal population. METHODS: Multiple regression was used to test associations between FEV1 and cognitive function in 1778 men and women in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, also known as the British 1946 birth cohort. Analyses were adjusted for sex, body size (birth weight, adult height, weight, and chest circumference), socioeconomic status, lifetime smoking, and a range of health indicators, including early respiratory vulnerability (infant lower respiratory infection, childhood asthma, and exposure to atmospheric pollution). RESULTS: FEV1 at 43 years was associated with slower psychomotor speed (peg placement) at the same age and with slower decline in psychomotor speed (letter search speed) from 43 to 53 years, independently of the previously mentioned potential confounders. These independent associations were not observed, however, for adult verbal ability, verbal memory, or rate of decline in memory, which were significantly explained by socioeconomic status and adolescent cognitive ability. In a subsequent analysis, adolescent cognition was positively associated with FEV1, although not with rate of decline in FEV1 from 43 to 53 years, again independently of the previously mentioned confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive function and FEV1 are positively associated across the life course. One possible explanation lies in the parallel action of endocrine, autonomic, and motor control systems on respiration and higher mental function. Because respiration and mental function are both associated with functional capacity and survival, this is a matter of potential clinical significance.
Adolescent↗