MPC Member Publications

This database contains a listing of population studies publications written by MPC Members. Anyone can add a publication by an MPC student, faculty, or staff member to this database; new citations will be reviewed and approved by MPC administrators.

Full Citation

Title: Household income, cortisol, and obesity during early childhood: A prospective longitudinal study

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2022

ISSN: 0022-3476

DOI: 10.1016/J.JPEDS.2022.09.007

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the relationship between household income, children's cortisol, and body mass index (BMI) trajectories over a three-year period in early childhood. STUDY DESIGN: Household income, child hair cortisol levels, and BMI were measured at baseline, 12-, 24-, and 36-month follow-up visits in the NET-Works Study (n=534, children ages 2-4 years and household income < $65,000/year at baseline). Relationships were examined between very low household income (< $25,000/year) at baseline, income status over time (remained < $25,000/year or had increasing income), cortisol accumulation from hair samples, and BMI percent of the 95(th) percentile (BMIp95) trajectories using adjusted linear growth curve modeling. Households with baseline income between $25,000-$65,000/year were the reference group for all analyses. RESULTS: Children from very-low-income households at baseline had annual changes in BMIp95 that were higher (p<0.001) than children from reference group households (0.40 vs. -0.62 percentage units/year). Annual increases in BMIp95 were also greater among children from households that remained very-low-income (p<0.01, 0.34 percentage units/year) and among those with increasing income (p=0.01, 0.51 percentage units/year) compared with the reference group (-0.61 percentage units/year). Children from households that remained very-low-income had higher hair cortisol accumulations (0.22 pg/mg, p=0.02) than reference group children, whereas hair cortisol concentrations of children from households with increasing income (0.03 pg/mg) did not differ significantly from the reference group. Cortisol was not related to BMIp95. CONCLUSIONS: The economic circumstances of families may impact children's BMI trajectories and their developing stress systems, but these processes may be independent of one another.

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Authors: Kunin-Batson, Alicia S.; Crain, A. Lauren; Gunnar, Megan R.; Kelly, Aaron S.; Kharbanda, Elyse O.; Haapala, Jacob; Seburg, Elisabeth M.; Sherwood, Nancy E.; French, Simone A.

Periodical (Full): The Journal of Pediatrics

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