Cumulative environmental stress and emerging cardiometabolic risk during childhood
Authors' conclusion
The influence of cumulative stress on cardiometabolic health can be observed in middle childhood and may contribute to cardiometabolic health disparities, highlighting the importance of public health interventions to mitigate disadvantage.
Study context
- Population
- Children from low-income households (59% Hispanic, 23% Black, body mass index (BMI) percentile >50th at enrollment), followed from age 2–4 to 7–11 years
- Participants
- 320 children
- Exposure
- Greater vs lower cumulative environmental stress
- Outcome
- Elevated cardiometabolic risk (BMI, blood pressure, lipids, blood sugar, C-reactive protein)
- Follow-up
- 7-11 years of age
Methodological detailscausal mediation analysis, five timepoints
- Causal mediation analysis
- Five timepoints
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Elevated cardiometabolic risk · middle childhood
- Greater cumulative environmental stress associated with higher likelihood of elevated cardiometabolic risk (adjusted logistic regression)
- p = 0.01
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Hair cortisol
- Cumulative environmental stress associated with higher hair cortisol concentrations
- P < 0.01
- Hair cortisol not directly associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and did not explain the stress–risk association in causal mediation analysis
Racial/ethnic differences
- Children from minoritized racial/ethnic groups had higher prevalence of both stressors and cardiometabolic risk factors
Original publication
Cumulative environmental stress and emerging cardiometabolic risk during childhood. Pediatr Obes. Published 28 March 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →