Birth Cohort (birth + cohort)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences

Kinds of Birth Cohort

  • british birth cohort
  • national birth cohort
  • population birth cohort
  • prospective birth cohort
  • total birth cohort

  • Terms modified by Birth Cohort

  • birth cohort analysis
  • birth cohort effects
  • birth cohort studies
  • birth cohort study

  • Selected Abstracts


    Childhood body mass index (BMI), breastfeeding and risk of Type 1 diabetes: findings from a longitudinal national birth cohort

    DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 9 2008
    R. M. Viner
    Abstract Aims To perform a longitudinal analysis of the association between childhood body mass index (BMI) and later risk of Type 1 diabetes, controlling for socio-economic status, birthweight, height in early and late childhood, breastfeeding history and pubertal status. Methods Analysis of the 1970 British Birth Cohort, followed up at age 5, 10 and 30 years (n = 11 261). Data were available on birthweight, breastfeeding; height, weight, pubertal status, socio-economic status at age 10 years; self-report data on history of diabetes (type, age at onset) at age 30 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine relations of childhood growth, socio-economic status and breastfeeding history to the incidence of Type 1 diabetes between 10 and 30 years of age. Results Sixty-one subjects (0.5%) reported Type 1 diabetes at 30 years of age; 47 (77%) reported onset , age 10 years. Higher BMI z -score at 10 years predicted higher risk of subsequent Type 1 diabetes (hazard ratio 1.8, 95% confidence interval 1.2 to 2.8, P = 0.01) when adjusted for birthweight, pubertal status, breastfeeding history and socio-economic status. Repeating the model for childhood obesity, the hazard ratio was 3.1 (1.0, 9.3; P = 0.05). Birthweight, breastfeeding, height growth and pubertal timing were not associated with incidence of Type 1 diabetes. Conclusions Higher BMI in childhood independently increased the risk of later Type 1 diabetes, supporting suggestions that obesity may provide a link between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. This supports observations of a rise in Type 1 diabetes prevalence. Reduction in childhood obesity may reduce the incidence of Type 1 as well as Type 2 diabetes. [source]


    Replication study of candidate genes for cognitive abilities: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

    GENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2009
    L. M. Houlihan
    As the proportion of older people in societies has increased, research into the determinants of cognitive ageing has risen in importance. Genetic influences account for over 50% of the variance in adult cognitive abilities. Previous studies on cognition and illnesses with cognitive impairments have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within candidate genes that might influence cognition or age-related cognitive change. This study investigated 10 candidate genes in over 1000 Scots: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936). These participants were tested on general cognitive ability (Scottish Mental Survey 1947) at age 11. At mean age 70, they completed the same general cognitive ability test and a battery of diverse cognitive tests. Nineteen SNPs in 10 genes previously associated with cognition, Alzheimer's disease or autism were genotyped in 1063 individuals. The genes include BDNF, COMT, DISC1, KL, NCSTN, PPP1R1B, PRNP, SHANK3, SORL1 and WRN. Linear regression analysis investigated the additive effect of each SNP on the cognitive variables, covarying for gender and age. Childhood cognitive ability was also included as a covariate to identify associations specifically with cognitive ageing. Certain SNPs reached the conventional significance threshold for association with cognitive traits or cognitive ageing in LBC1936 (P < 0.05). No SNPs reached the Bonferroni-level of significance (all P > 0.0015). Of the 10 genes, we discuss that COMT, KL, PRNP, PPP1R1B, SORL1 and WRN especially merit further attention for association with cognitive ability and/or age-related cognitive change. All results are also presented so that they are valuable for future meta-analyses of candidate genes for cognition. [source]


    Agreement between self-reported and pharmacy data on medication use in the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 2 2010
    Marianne Haapea
    Abstract Objective: To compare self-reported (SR) medication use and pharmacy data for major psychoactive medications and three classes of medications used for different indications, and to determine the socio-economic factors associated with the congruence. Methods: Postal questionnaire data collected in 1997 were compared with the register of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland on the reimbursed prescriptions purchased during 1997. Altogether 7625 subjects were included in this study. Drugs were categorized according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) system. Results: Kappa values were 0.77, 0.68, 0.84, 0.92 and 0.55 for antipsychotics, antidepressants, antiepileptics, antidiabetics and beta-blocking agents, respectively. Prevalence-adjusted and bias-adjusted kappa values were almost perfect (0.98,1.00). Reliability of antipsychotics use was better for married subjects than for those who were not married; and of antidepressants use for highly educated and married subjects than for those who were less educated and were not married. Altogether 414 (5.4%) responders and 285 (7.1%) non-responders had used at least one of the selected medications. Conclusion: Agreement between the SR and pharmacy data was moderate for psychoactive medication use. Even though data collected by postal questionnaire may underestimate the prevalence of medication use due to non-participation it can be assumed accurate enough for study purposes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Partner Violence and Mental Health Outcomes in a New Zealand Birth Cohort

    JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 5 2005
    David M. Fergusson
    This study examines the prevalence and extent of domestic violence and the consequences of domestic violence for mental health outcomes in a birth cohort of New Zealand young adults studied at age 25 years. A total of 828 young people (437 women and 391 men) were interviewed about the domestic violence victimization and violence perpetration in their current or most recent partner relationship. Key findings of the study were (a) domestic conflict was present in 70% of relationships, with this conflict ranging from minor psychological abuse to severe assault; (b) men and women reported similar experiences of victimization and perpetration of domestic violence; and (c) exposure to domestic violence was significantly related to increased risks of major depression (p < .05) and suicidal ideation (p < .005) even after extensive control for covariates. [source]


    Teenage Pregnancy and Female Educational Underachievement: A Prospective Study of a New Zealand Birth Cohort

    JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 1 2000
    David M. Fergusson
    This paper examines the relationship between teenage pregnancy and educational underachievement in a cohort of 520 young women studied from birth to 21 years. Results showed that young women who became pregnant by the age of 18 years were at increased risk of poor achievement in the national School Certificate examinations, of leaving school without qualifications, and of failing to complete their sixth-form year at high school. In addition, pregnant teenagers had lower rates of participation in tertiary education and training than their nonpregnant peers. Subsequent analyses showed that the links between teenage pregnancy and tertiary educational participation were largely noncausal and reflected the earlier academic ability, behavior, and family circumstances of young women who became pregnant. In contrast, antecedent child and family factors only partially explained associations between teenage pregnancy and high school participation and achievement. After adjustment for these factors, significant associations remained between teenage pregnancy and educational achievement at high school. An examination of the diverse life histories of young women who became pregnant revealed that for the majority of young women, pregnancy occurred after they had left school before finishing. These findings suggest that rates of teenage pregnancy might be elevated among young women who leave school early, rather than rates of early school leaving being elevated among young women who become pregnant during their teenage years. [source]


    Maternal use of nicotine replacement therapy during pregnancy and offspring birthweight: a study within the Danish National Birth Cohort

    PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
    Tina H. Lassen
    Summary Lassen TH, Madsen M, Skovgaard LT, Strandberg-Larsen K, Olsen J, Andersen A-MN. Maternal use of nicotine replacement therapy during pregnancy and offspring birthweight: a study within the Danish National Birth Cohort. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010; 24: 272,281. Smoking is a well-established risk factor for fetal growth restriction and other adverse pregnancy outcomes, and nicotine may be one of the chemical compounds that drive these associations. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a smoking cessation aid, which can facilitate smoking cessation. It is, however, unknown whether NRT used during pregnancy impairs fetal growth. The aim of this study was to estimate the association between the use of NRT during pregnancy and offspring birthweight. The study population consisted of 72 761 women enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort between 1996 and 2002. Information on NRT and potential confounders was obtained from two computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted in the second and third trimesters, respectively. Multiple linear regression in a multilevel model was used to estimate the association between NRT use and birthweight adjusted for gestational age and potential confounders. The adjusted analyses showed no significant association between the duration of NRT use and birthweight (b = 0.25 g per week of NRT use [95% CI ,2.31, 2.81]) and neither was the type of NRT product (patch, gum, inhaler) associated with reduced birthweight. However, simultaneous use of more than one NRT product was associated with reduced birthweight (b = ,10.73 g per week of NRT use [95% CI ,26.51, 5.05]), although the association was not statistically significant. The results of this study suggest that maternal use of NRT in pregnancy does not seriously affect birthweight, but there could be a negative effect on birthweight associated with simultaneous use of more than one type of NRT product. [source]


    Infertility, infertility treatment and psychomotor development: the Danish National Birth Cohort

    PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
    Jin Liang Zhu
    Summary Babies born of infertile couples, regardless of treatment, have a higher risk of preterm birth and low birthweight, conditions associated with delayed development. We examined developmental milestones in singletons as a function of parental infertility [time to pregnancy (TTP) > 12 months] and infertility treatment. From the Danish National Birth Cohort (1997,2003), we identified 37 897 singletons born of fertile couples (TTP , 12 months), 4351 born of infertile couples conceiving naturally (TTP > 12 months), and 3309 born after infertility treatment. When the children were about 18 months old, mothers reported 12 developmental milestones by responding to structured questions. We defined a failure to achieve the assessed milestone or the minimal numbers of milestones in a summary (motor, or cognitive/language skills) as delay. Naturally conceived children born of infertile couples had a pattern of psychomotor development similar to that of children born of fertile couples, but increasing TTP correlated with a modest delay. When the analysis was restricted to infertile couples (treated and untreated), children born after treatment showed a slight delay in cognitive/language development (odds ratio 1.24, [95% confidence interval 1.01, 1.53]) for not meeting at least three out of six cognitive/language milestones); children born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) had the highest estimated relative risk of delay for most milestones, especially motor milestones. These results suggest that a long TTP may be associated with a modest developmental delay. Infertility treatment, especially ICSI, may be associated with a slight delay for some of these early milestones. [source]


    Data collected on maternal dietary exposures in the Danish National Birth Cohort

    PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007
    Sjśrdur Fródi Olsen
    Summary Recent research suggests that the diet consumed in, or shortly before, pregnancy can potentially lead to maldevelopment and diseases in the offspring, which may become apparent at any time from the embryonic stage until old age. For example, maternal diet may affect the chance of twinning (and associated complications), malformation risk, brain development, and the offspring's fecundity and risk of contracting cardiovascular dieases and cancer in adult life. Prospectively designed longitudinal studies with sufficient size and data quality are much needed to substantiate or refute these hypotheses. At present, the Danish National Birth Cohort is likely to be the largest epidemiological database containing extensive information on maternal dietary exposures. By October 2002, 100 000 women had been recruited in early pregnancy, for long-term follow-up of themselves and their offspring. The present paper details the information available in the database on early nutritional exposures with emphasis on maternal dietary intake. We also present distributions of selected nutritional exposures. [source]


    Reproductive traits following a parent,child separation trauma during childhood: A natural experiment during World War II

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
    Anu-Katriina Pesonen
    Given the ethical limitations of exposing children to experimentally manipulated adverse experiences, evidence of the effects of childhood traumas on subsequent life history are based mostly on women's retrospective reports and animal studies. Only a few prospective studies have assessed the life-long consequences of childhood trauma. We asked whether a traumatic separation from both parents during childhood is associated with reproductive and marital traits later in life, measured by age of onset of menarche, timing of menopause, period of fertile years, age at first childbirth, birth spacing, number of children, and history of divorce. We studied members of the 1934,1944 Helsinki Birth Cohort, including 396 former war evacuees from varying socioeconomic backgrounds, who were sent unaccompanied by their parents to temporary foster families in Sweden and Denmark, and 503 participants who had no separation experiences. Data on separation experiences, number of children, and divorces experienced came from national registers, and the remaining data from a survey among the participants aged 61.6 years (SD = 2.9). Former evacuees had earlier menarche, earlier first childbirth (men), more children by late adulthood (women), and shorter interbirth intervals (men), than the non-separated. A traumatic experience in childhood is associated with significant alterations in reproductive and marital traits, which characterize both women and men. The implications are relevant to the 9.2 million child refugees living throughout the world today. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Association of Maternal Chronic Disease and Negative Birth Outcomes in a Non-Hispanic Black-White Mississippi Birth Cohort

    PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2007
    Juanita Graham
    ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the impact of selected maternal chronic medical conditions, race, and age on preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and infant mortality among Mississippi mothers from 1999 to 2003. Design: A retrospective cohort analysis of linked birth and death certificates. Sample: The 1999,2003 Mississippi birth cohort comprising 202,931 singleton infants born to African American and White women. Measurements: The relationship between maternal chronic conditions and the dependent variables of PTB, LBW, and infant mortality were investigated using logistic regression analysis. Results: PTB, LBW, and infant mortality were more prevalent among African American women, very young women (,15 years), and women with certain chronic medical conditions. Among White mothers, maternal chronic hypertension was significantly associated with PTB and LBW, and maternal diabetes with PTB and infant mortality. Among African American mothers, maternal cardiac disease was significantly associated with PTB and LBW; maternal chronic hypertension was significantly associated with LBW and infant mortality; and maternal diabetes with PTB. Conclusions: Maternal chronic hypertension and diabetes were significantly associated with negative birth outcomes regardless of maternal race. Maternal cardiac disease was only significantly associated with PTB and LBW among African Americans. [source]


    Coffee consumption during pregnancy and the risk of hyperkinetic disorder and ADHD: a prospective cohort study

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 1 2009
    Karen Markussen Linnet
    Abstract Aim: Based on hypotheses from experimental studies, we studied the association between intrauterine exposure to coffee and the risk of clinically verified hyperkinetic disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: A cohort study with prospectively collected data from the Aarhus Birth Cohort, Denmark. We included 24 068 singletons delivered between 1990 and 1998. Linkage was performed with three Danish longitudinal registers: The Danish Psychiatric Central Register, The Integrated Database for Labour Market Research and The Danish Civil Registration System. We identified 88 children with hyperkinetic disorder and ADHD. Information about coffee consumption during pregnancy was obtained at 16 weeks of gestation from self-administrated questionnaires. Potential confounding factors were evaluated using Cox regression analyses. Results: We found that intrauterine exposure to 10 or more cups of coffee per day was associated with a threefold increased risk of hyperkinetic disorder and ADHD. After adjustments for a number of confounding factors, the risk decreased and became statistically insignificant (RR 2.3, 95% CI 0.9,5.9). Conclusion: Prenatal exposure to high levels of coffee did not significantly increase the risk of clinically verified hyperkinetic disorder and ADHD in childhood. [source]


    Infant and Neonatal Mortality for Primary Cesarean and Vaginal Births to Women with "No Indicated Risk," United States, 1998,2001 Birth Cohorts

    BIRTH, Issue 3 2006
    Marian F. MacDorman PhD
    ABSTRACT:,Background: The percentage of United States' births delivered by cesarean section has increased rapidly in recent years, even for women considered to be at low risk for a cesarean section. The purpose of this paper is to examine infant and neonatal mortality risks associated with primary cesarean section compared with vaginal delivery for singleton full-term (37,41 weeks' gestation) women with no indicated medical risks or complications. Methods: National linked birth and infant death data for the 1998,2001 birth cohorts (5,762,037 live births and 11,897 infant deaths) were analyzed to assess the risk of infant and neonatal mortality for women with no indicated risk by method of delivery and cause of death. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model neonatal survival probabilities as a function of delivery method, and sociodemographic and medical risk factors. Results: Neonatal mortality rates were higher among infants delivered by cesarean section (1.77 per 1,000 live births) than for those delivered vaginally (0.62). The magnitude of this difference was reduced only moderately on statistical adjustment for demographic and medical factors, and when deaths due to congenital malformations and events with Apgar scores less than 4 were excluded. The cesarean/vaginal mortality differential was widespread, and not confined to a few causes of death. Conclusions: Understanding the causes of these differentials is important, given the rapid growth in the number of primary cesareans without a reported medical indication. (BIRTH 33:3 September 2006) [source]


    Breastfeeding Rates in Hong Kong: A Comparison of the 1987 and 1997 Birth Cohorts

    BIRTH, Issue 3 2002
    Gabriel M. Leung MD
    ABSTRACT: Background: Low breastfeeding rates are an issue of international public health concern. Anecdotal reports suggest very low breastfeeding rates in Asia, but no population-based studies have been conducted in the region. To determine the secular trend in breastfeeding practice in an Asian postindustrialized metropolitan community, we examined data from two population-based birth cohorts of Hong Kong infants in 1987 and 1997. Methods: Annual population rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration were estimated from the birth cohorts, considering the change in breastfeeding rates over 10 years with correction for sociodemographic and birth characteristics. Factors associated with breastfeeding practice were identified using multivariate logistic regression modeling in a pooled analysis of individual data of both cohorts. Results: Overall, 26.8 percent of mothers initiated breastfeeding in 1987, and the rate increased to 33.5 percent in 1997. The rate would have been 27.4 percent in 1987 if the distributions of method of delivery, birthweight, birth order, maternal age, education, and employment status had been the same as in 1997. Only 7.6 percent of infants remained on the breast for more than 1 month in 1987 compared with 20.4 percent a decade later. Similarly, the rate for breastfeeding more than 3 months increased from 3.9 to 10.3 percent. Total breastfeeding duration was significantly longer in 1997 than 10 years earlier. Conclusions: This is the first systematic report of secular variations of breastfeeding rates in Asia. Hong Kong should set higher but realistic goals for breastfeeding that emphasize both initiation and maintenance. Given the wide latitude for improvement in terms of readily modifiable risk factors, such as smoking and cesarean section, these new goals should focus on improving rates in these targeted groups where breastfeeding rates are lowest. (BIRTH 29:3 September 2002) [source]


    Adult health outcomes and their implications for experiences of childhood nutritional stress in Jamaica,

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009
    Robin G. Nelson
    With insights from the developmental origins of health and disease paradigm (DOHaD), this study explores the impact of childhood nutritional stress on adult health outcomes in Jamaica. Jamaica experienced a lengthy period of political and economic instability beginning in the postcolonial period of the early 1960s. This study tests whether decreased government spending on public resources and limited access to imported food products during the early postcolonial period will be reflected in increased adiposity and body mass index among Jamaican adults. Ethnographic and anthropometric data were collected from individuals born between 1958 and 1988. Variability in health outcomes was assessed using Z -score values for body mass index and summed skinfold thickness measures. Age was employed as both a continuous and categorical independent variable. In partial correlation models controlling for economic status, body mass index values and summed skinfold thickness increased with age. Birth cohort and gender effects were also apparent. Women born between 1959 and 1968 had higher body mass index Z -score values than younger women. Both men and women born between 1959 and 1968 had significantly higher skinfold thickness measures than younger individuals. Individuals born between 1959 and 1968 were children during the immediate postcolonial era in Jamaica. Experiences of nutritional stress during critical developmental periods may have contributed to the observed age-related increases in adipose tissue and body mass index values. This study informs our understanding of the ways that fluctuations in the sociopolitical environment during development can mediate and contribute to poor adult health outcomes. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Association of FcGRIIa with Graves' disease: a potential role for dysregulated autoantibody clearance in disease onset/progression

    CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
    Kadija Yesmin
    Summary Objective, Although autoantibody production is a key feature of autoimmunity, it is not known whether variation in autoantibody production and clearance pathways is involved in disease susceptibility. The Fc Gamma Receptor IIa (FcGRIIa) molecule is involved in the clearance of autoantibodies and a functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs1801274, which has been shown to alter autoantibody clearance, has been associated with a number of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) including systemic lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes. This study aimed to determine whether FcGRIIa is associated with Graves' disease (GD) in the UK Caucasian population by Tag SNP screening common polymorphisms within the FcGRIIa region. Design, A case control association study investigating nine Tag SNPs within FcGRIIa, which captured the majority of known common variation within this gene region. Patients, A dataset comprising 2504 UK Caucasian GD patients and 2784 geographically matched controls taken from the 1958 British Birth cohort. Measurements, We used the ,2 -test to investigate association between the Tag SNPs and GD. Results, Association between the rs1801274 (P,= 0·003, OR = 1·12 [95% CI = 1·03,1·22] and rs6427598 (P = 0·012, OR = 0·90 [95% CI = 0·83-0·98]) SNPs and GD was observed. No other SNPs showed association with GD. No associations were seen between any of the SNPs investigated and specific GD clinical phenotypes. Conclusions, This study suggests that variation in FcGRIIa predisposes to GD and further supports the role of FcGRIIa as a susceptibility locus for AIDs in general. [source]


    Categorizing Urgency of Infant Emergency Department Visits: Agreement between Criteria

    ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 12 2006
    Rakesh D. Mistry MD
    Abstract Background The lack of valid classification methods for emergency department (ED) visit urgency has resulted in large variation in reported rates of nonurgent ED utilization. Objectives To compare four methods of defining ED visit urgency with the criterion standard, implicit criteria, for infant ED visits. Methods This was a secondary data analysis of a prospective birth cohort of Medicaid-enrolled infants who made at least one ED visit in the first six months of life. Complete ED visit data were reviewed to assess urgency via implicit criteria. The explicit criteria (adherence to prespecified criteria via complete ED charts), ED triage, diagnosis, and resources methods were also used to categorize visit urgency. Concordance and agreement (,) between the implicit criteria and alternative methods were measured. Results A total of 1,213 ED visits were assessed. Mean age was 2.8 (SD ± 1.78) months, and the most common diagnosis was upper respiratory infection (21.0%). Using implicit criteria, 52.3% of ED visits were deemed urgent. Urgent visits using other methods were as follows: explicit criteria, 51.8%; ED triage, 60.6%; diagnosis, 70.3%; and resources, 52.7%. Explicit criteria had the highest concordance (78.3%) and agreement (,= 0.57) with implicit criteria. Of limited data methods, resources demonstrated the best concordance (78.1%) and agreement (,= 0.56), while ED triage (67.9%) and diagnosis (71.6%) exhibited lower concordance and agreement (,= 0.35 and ,= 0.42, respectively). Explicit criteria and resources equally misclassified urgency for 11.1% of visits; ED triage and diagnosis tended to overclassify visits as urgent. Conclusions The explicit criteria and resources methods best approximate implicit criteria in classifying ED visit urgency in infants younger than six months of age. If confirmed in further studies, resources utilized has the potential to be an inexpensive, easily applicable method for urgency classification of infant ED visits when limited data are available. [source]


    The targets of violence committed by young offenders with alcohol dependence, marijuana dependence and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: findings from a birth cohort

    CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2002
    Louise Arseneault
    Background: Estimates of who is most at risk from violence by people with mental illness rest mainly on identified patient samples. This study, without such selection bias, examined the targets of violence committed by young adults with as-yet untreated alcohol dependence, marijuana dependence, or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, to determine the extent to which their victims were co-residents or non-household members. Methods: In a total birth cohort of 21-year-olds (n = 956), past-year prevalence of alcohol dependence, marijuana dependence and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were diagnosed using standardized DSM-III-R interviews. None of the people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder has been hospitalized in the past year. Past-year violence and victim targets were measured using self-reports. Results: Compared with controls, cohort members with substance dependence or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders had higher prevalence and frequency rates of assault against co-residents, against non-household members, and also robbery and gang fights. Out of 39, five individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder committed violent street crimes. Persons with substance dependence had similar proportions of violence against co-resident and non-household members, but persons with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders tended to victimize co-residents more than others. Conclusions: At the age when they are most likely to contribute to the community's violence burden, young untreated offenders with alcohol or marijuana dependence or with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders assault not only co-residents, but others as well, and commit violent street crimes. Families, schoolteachers and primary care physicians have an important potentially preventive role in early identification and treatment of the disorders. Copyright © 2002 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]


    Increased lifetime prevalence of dental trauma is associated with previous non-dental injuries, mental distress and high alcohol consumption

    DENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2001
    U. Perheentupa
    Abstract , The purpose of the study was to assess the lifetime prevalence of dental injuries and risk factors involved in a general population-based birth cohort. The study population consisted of 5737 subjects who had participated in a health survey at the age of 31 years. Altogether 52% of the participants were women. This partly computer-based health survey included two questionnaires on previous dental and non-dental injuries, general health, occupational status and lifestyle. The current study was based on these questionnaires. The lifetime prevalence of dental fractures was 43% and the lifetime prevalence of dental luxations and exarticulations 14%. Men more commonly had dental injuries than women. Particularly mental distress and a history of previous injuries were shown to increase the risk for dental injuries. Furthermore, overweight and high alcohol consumption were positively associated with a high lifetime prevalence of tooth trauma. Regular physical activity decreased trauma occurrence. Socioeconomic status further affected the lifetime prevalence of dental injuries. The conclusion of the study was that personal, social and physical factors played a role in the occurrence of dental trauma. [source]


    Lifetime comorbidities between phobic disorders and major depression in Japan: results from the World Mental Health Japan 2002,2004 Survey,

    DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 10 2009
    Masao Tsuchiya M.A.
    Abstract Background: Although often considered of minor significance in themselves, evidence exists that early-onset phobic disorders might be predictors of later more serious disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of phobic disorders with the onset of MDD in the community in Japan. Methods: Data from the World Mental Health Japan 2002,2004 Survey were analyzed. A total of 2,436 community residents aged 20 and older were interviewed using the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 (response rate, 58.4%). A Cox proportional hazard model was used to predict the onset of MDD as a function of prior history of DSM-IV specific phobia, agoraphobia, or social phobia, adjusting for gender, birth-cohort, other anxiety disorders, education, and marital status at survey. Results: Social phobia was strongly associated with the subsequent onset of MDD (hazard ratio [HR]=4.1 [95% CI: 2.0,8.7]) after adjusting for sex, birth cohort, and the number of other anxiety disorders. The association between agoraphobia or specific phobia and MDD was not statistically significant after adjusting for these variables. Conclusions: Social phobia is a powerful predictor of the subsequent first onset of MDD in Japan. Although this finding argues against a simple neurobiological model and in favor of a model in which the cultural meanings of phobia play a part in promoting MDD, an elucidation of causal pathways will require more fine-grained comparative research. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. Published 2009 Wiley-liss, Inc. [source]


    Preterm birth or foetal growth impairment and psychiatric hospitalization in adolescence and early adulthood in a Swedish population-based birth cohort

    ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2009
    W. Monfils Gustafsson
    Objective:, Preterm birth and restricted foetal growth are related to symptoms of psychiatric disorder. Our aim was therefore to investigate possible relations between being born preterm and/or small for gestational age (SGA) and later psychiatric hospitalization. Method:, A population-based registry study of psychiatric hospitalization of in total 155 994 boys and 148 281 girls born in Sweden in 1973,1975. Results:, The risk of hospitalization for all mental disorders was increased for preterm SGA boys (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.49,3.21); at-term SGA boys (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.34,1.79); at-term SGA girls (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.15,1.50). At-term SGA boys and girls suffered increased risk of anxiety and adjustment disorders (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.18,2.45 and OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.14,1.94). Preterm SGA boys were at risk of personality disorders (OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.16,9.41) and psychotic disorders (OR 4.36, 95% CI 1.85,10.30). Conclusion:, The results show a relationship between being born SGA and later psychiatric hospitalization, where preterm birth and male gender seem to increase the risk. [source]


    Fetal size in mid- and late pregnancy is related to infant alertness: The generation R study

    DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
    Jens Henrichs
    Abstract The vulnerability for behavioral problems is partly shaped in fetal life. Numerous studies have related indicators of intrauterine growth, for example, birth weight and body size, to behavioral development. We investigated whether fetal size in mid- and late pregnancy is related to infant irritability and alertness. In a population-based birth cohort of 4,255 singleton full-term infants ultrasound measurements of fetal head and abdominal circumference in mid- and late pregnancy were performed. Infant irritability and alertness scores were obtained by the Mother and Baby Scales at 3 months and z -standardized. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed curvilinear associations (inverted J-shape) of measures of fetal size in both mid- and late pregnancy with infant alertness. Fetal size characteristics were not associated with infant irritability. These results suggest that alterations of intrauterine growth affecting infant alertness are already detectable from mid-pregnancy onwards. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 51: 119,130, 2009 [source]


    Childhood body mass index (BMI), breastfeeding and risk of Type 1 diabetes: findings from a longitudinal national birth cohort

    DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 9 2008
    R. M. Viner
    Abstract Aims To perform a longitudinal analysis of the association between childhood body mass index (BMI) and later risk of Type 1 diabetes, controlling for socio-economic status, birthweight, height in early and late childhood, breastfeeding history and pubertal status. Methods Analysis of the 1970 British Birth Cohort, followed up at age 5, 10 and 30 years (n = 11 261). Data were available on birthweight, breastfeeding; height, weight, pubertal status, socio-economic status at age 10 years; self-report data on history of diabetes (type, age at onset) at age 30 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine relations of childhood growth, socio-economic status and breastfeeding history to the incidence of Type 1 diabetes between 10 and 30 years of age. Results Sixty-one subjects (0.5%) reported Type 1 diabetes at 30 years of age; 47 (77%) reported onset , age 10 years. Higher BMI z -score at 10 years predicted higher risk of subsequent Type 1 diabetes (hazard ratio 1.8, 95% confidence interval 1.2 to 2.8, P = 0.01) when adjusted for birthweight, pubertal status, breastfeeding history and socio-economic status. Repeating the model for childhood obesity, the hazard ratio was 3.1 (1.0, 9.3; P = 0.05). Birthweight, breastfeeding, height growth and pubertal timing were not associated with incidence of Type 1 diabetes. Conclusions Higher BMI in childhood independently increased the risk of later Type 1 diabetes, supporting suggestions that obesity may provide a link between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. This supports observations of a rise in Type 1 diabetes prevalence. Reduction in childhood obesity may reduce the incidence of Type 1 as well as Type 2 diabetes. [source]


    Age,period,cohort modelling of alcohol volume and heavy drinking days in the US National Alcohol Surveys: divergence in younger and older adult trends

    ADDICTION, Issue 1 2009
    William C. Kerr
    ABSTRACT Aims The decomposition of trends in alcohol volume and heavy drinking days into age, period, cohort and demographic effects offers an important perspective on the dynamics of change in alcohol use patterns in the United States. Design The present study utilizes data from six National Alcohol Surveys conducted over the 26-year period between 1979 and 2005. Setting United States. Measurements Alcohol volume and the number of days when five or more and eight or more drinks were consumed were derived from overall and beverage-specific graduated frequency questions. Results Trend analyses show that while mean values of drinking measures have continued to decline for those aged 26 and older, there has been a substantial increase in both alcohol volume and 5+ days among those aged 18,25 years. Age,period,cohort models indicate a potential positive cohort effect among those born after 1975. However, an alternative interpretation of an age,cohort interaction where drinking falls off more steeply in the late 20s than was the case in the oldest surveys cannot be ruled out. For women only, the 1956,60 birth cohort appears to drink more heavily than those born just before or after. Models also indicate the importance of income, ethnicity, education and marital status in determining these alcohol measures. Conclusions Increased heavy drinking among young adults in recent surveys presents a significant challenge for alcohol policy and may indicate a sustained increase in future US alcohol consumption. [source]


    Cannabis use and later life outcomes

    ADDICTION, Issue 6 2008
    David M. Fergusson
    ABSTRACT Aim To examine the associations between the extent of cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood and later education, economic, employment, relationship satisfaction and life satisfaction outcomes. Design A longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth cohort studied to age 25 years. Measurements Measures of: cannabis use at ages 14,25; university degree attainment to age 25; income at age 25; welfare dependence during the period 21,25 years; unemployment 21,25 years; relationship quality; life satisfaction. Also, measures of childhood socio-economic disadvantage, family adversity, childhood and early adolescent behavioural adjustment and cognitive ability and adolescent and young adult mental health and substance use. Findings There were statistically significant bivariate associations between increasing levels of cannabis use at ages 14,21 and: lower levels of degree attainment by age 25 (P < 0.0001); lower income at age 25 (P < 0.01); higher levels of welfare dependence (P < 0.0001); higher unemployment (P < 0.0001); lower levels of relationship satisfaction (P < 0.001); and lower levels of life satisfaction (P < 0.0001). These associations were adjusted for a range of potentially confounding factors including: family socio-economic background; family functioning; exposure to child abuse; childhood and adolescent adjustment; early adolescent academic achievement; and comorbid mental disorders and substance use. After adjustment, the associations between increasing cannabis use and all outcome measures remained statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions The results of the present study suggest that increasing cannabis use in late adolescence and early adulthood is associated with a range of adverse outcomes in later life. High levels of cannabis use are related to poorer educational outcomes, lower income, greater welfare dependence and unemployment and lower relationship and life satisfaction. The findings add to a growing body of knowledge regarding the adverse consequences of heavy cannabis use. [source]


    Childhood social disadvantage and smoking in adulthood: results of a 25-year longitudinal study

    ADDICTION, Issue 3 2007
    David M. Fergusson
    ABSTRACT Aim To examine the associations between exposure to socio-economic disadvantage in childhood and smoking in adulthood. Design A 25-year longitudinal study of the health, development and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children. Measurements Assessments of childhood socio-economic disadvantage, smoking in adulthood and potential mediating pathways, including: parental education, family socio-economic status, family living standards and family income; smoking frequency and nicotine dependence at age 25 years; child IQ, educational achievement by age 18 years, conduct problems ages 14,16 years, parental smoking 0,16 years and peer smoking at 16 years. Findings Smoking at age 25 was correlated significantly (P < 0.0001) with increasing childhood socio-economic disadvantage. Further, indicators of childhood socio-economic disadvantage were correlated significantly (P < 0.0001) with the intervening variables of childhood intelligence, school achievement, conduct problems and exposure to parental and peer smoking; which in turn were correlated significantly (P < 0.0001) with measures of smoking at age 25. Structural equation modelling suggested that the linkages between the latent factor of childhood disadvantage and later smoking were explained largely by a series of pathways involving cognitive/educational factors, adolescent behavioural adjustment and exposure to parental and peer smoking. Conclusions The current study suggested that smoking in adulthood is influenced by childhood socio-economic disadvantage via the mediating pathways of cognitive/educational factors, adolescent behaviour and parental and peer smoking. [source]


    Age,period,cohort models and disease mapping

    ENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 5 2003
    Corrado Lagazio
    Abstract Joint modelling of space and time variation of the risk of disease is an important topic in descriptive epidemiology. Most of the proposals in this field deal with at most two time scales (age,period or age,cohort). We propose a hierarchical Bayesian model that can be used as a general framework to jointly study the evolution in time and the spatial pattern of the risk of disease. The rates are modelled as a function of purely spatial terms (local effects of risk factors that do not vary in time), time effects (on the three time axes: age, calendar period and birth cohort) and space,time interactions that describe area specific time patterns. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Tests of causal linkages between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms

    ADDICTION, Issue 3 2005
    David M. Fergusson
    ABSTRACT Aim To examine possible causal linkages between cannabis use and psychosis using data gathered over the course of a 25-year longitudinal study. Design A 25-year longitudinal study of the health, development and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children (635 males, 630 females). Setting The Christchurch Health and Development Study, a general community sample. Participants A total of 1055 participants from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) cohort for whom data on cannabis use and psychotic symptoms were available on at least one occasion from 18, 21 and 25 years. Measurements As part of this study, data were gathered on frequency of cannabis use and psychotic symptoms at ages 18, 21 and 25 years. Findings Regression models adjusting for observed and non-observed confounding suggested that daily users of cannabis had rates of psychotic symptoms that were between 1.6 and 1.8 times higher (P < 0.001) than non-users of cannabis. Structural equation modelling suggested that these associations reflected the effects of cannabis use on symptom levels rather than the effects of symptom levels on cannabis use. Conclusions The results of the present study add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that regular cannabis use may increase risks of psychosis. The present study suggests that: (a) the association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms is unlikely to be due to confounding factors; and (b) the direction of causality is from cannabis use to psychotic symptoms. [source]


    Does cannabis use encourage other forms of illicit drug use?

    ADDICTION, Issue 4 2000
    David M. Fergusson
    Aims. To examine the relationship between cannabis use in adolescence and the onset of other illicit drug use. Method. Data were gathered over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children. Measures analysed included: (a) frequency of cannabis use and other illicit drugs from 15-21; (b) family, social, educational and behavioural backgrounds of cohort members prior to 15; and (c) adolescent life-style variables. Findings. (i) By 21, nearly 70% of cohort members and used cannabis and 26% had used other illicit drugs. (ii) In all but three cases, the use of cannabis had preceded the use of illicit drugs. (iii) Those using cannabis on more than 50 occasions a year had hazards of other illicit drug use that were 140 times higher than non-users. (iv)After adjustment for covariate factors, including childhood factors, family factors and adolescent life-style factors, cannabis use remained strongly related to the onset of other forms of illicit drug use. Those using cannabis on more than 50 occasions per year had hazards of other illicit drug use that were 59.2 times higher than non-users. Conclusions. Findings support the view that cannabis may act as a gateway drug that encourages other forms of illicit drug use. None the less, the possibility remains that the association is non-causal and reflects factors that were not adequately controlled in the analysis. [source]


    The relation of tobacco smoking to tooth loss among young adults

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2004
    Pekka Ylöstalo
    Earlier studies have associated smoking with a higher rate of dental caries, periodontal disease and tooth loss. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether smoking is associated with tooth loss among young adults. The data consist of the 1966 birth cohort of Northern Finland, which is an unselected general population birth cohort (n = 12 058). The data were collected using a postal questionnaire in 1997,98 (n = 8690). Prevalence odds ratios and confidence intervals were estimated by applying a logistic regression model. It was found that smoking was associated with tooth loss in an exposure-dependent manner. The odds for those who smoked 16 or more pack-years were 5.30 (CI = 2.35,11.2) after adjustment for socio-economic and behavioral factors. Differences in socio-economic or health behavior are not likely to explain the findings since an exposure-response pattern was seen even when data was stratified according to sex, education and health-oriented lifestyle. A possible explanation for this association is a combination of treatment decisions and dental diseases, which are most likely associated with smoking in an exposure-dependent manner. [source]


    Increasing incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Canada, 1970,1996: age,period,cohort analysis

    HEMATOLOGICAL ONCOLOGY, Issue 2 2003
    Shiliang Liu
    Abstract Previous studies have shown that the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has increased in many parts of the world in recent decades. Using data obtained from the Canadian Cancer Registry, the present study examined time trends in NHL incidence in Canada between 1970 and 1996 and the effects of age, period of diagnosis and birth cohort on incidence patterns for each sex separately. Results showed that overall age-adjusted incidence rates increased substantially, from 7.3 and 5.2 per 100,000 in 1970,1971 to 14.0 and 10.0 per 100,000 in 1995,1996 in males and females, respectively. Diffuse lymphoma was the major histological subtype, accounting for approximately 76% of NHL cases over the 27-year period. The data suggest that period effects have played a major role, although birth cohort effects may also have been involved. Sex-specific patterns of the incidence were similar over the time period of diagnosis but were distinct among recent birth cohorts. In conclusion, there is in fact a marked increase in NHL in Canada which cannot be explained in terms of improvements in diagnosis, changes in NHL classification and the increase in AIDS-associated NHL alone. The birth cohort effect in NHL suggests that changes in risk factors may have contributed to the observed increase. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]