A “J-shape” association between birth weight and adult systolic blood pressure (SBP) in Hong Kong Chinese women

Abstract

NTROIDUCTION: “Fetal origins hypothesis” by Barker in 1990 is a well known hypothesis. One of the key finding was that low birth weight was associated with higher systolic blood pressure (SBP). Many previous studies indicated a linear inverse association between birth weight and adult SBP in Caucasians; however, few studies on this topic have been conducted in Chinese populations. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between birth weight and adult SBP in a Hong Kong Chinese population, and to determine the interaction between birth weight and adult body weight on SBP. METHODS: This study was integrated in a life course epidemiology study among 35–65 years old female nurses in Hong Kong. Three rounds of mail surveys were conducted, 1253 nurses participated in the study. Information on birth weight, height, body weight, blood pressure and other variables was collected by a self-administered questionnaire. These self-reported variables have been validated in a pilot study. RESULTS: Using linear regression analysis, after adjustment for age, height, body weight, premature and salt intake, we observed a significant inverse association between birth weight and SBP (coefficient …