Racial differences in the association between early socioeconomic position, birth weight, and arterial stiffness in adults from ELSA-Brasil

• Published in: Annals of epidemiology Vol. 34; pp. 45 - 51
• Main Authors: Coelho, Débora M., Camelo, Lidyane V., Giatti, Luana, Chor, Dóra, Guimarães, Joanna M.N., Mill, José Geraldo, Ribeiro, Antônio Luiz P., Brant, Luisa C.C., Barreto, Sandhi Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2019
• Subjects: Adult; African Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Aged; Arterial stiffness; Atherosclerosis - diagnosis; Atherosclerosis - epidemiology; Atherosclerosis - ethnology; Birth Weight; Brazil - epidemiology; Carotid Arteries - diagnostic imaging; Carotid Arteries - physiology; Child; Childhood socioeconomic position; Educational Status; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health inequalities; Humans; Life-course epidemiology; Longitudinal Studies; Maternal education; Middle Aged; Pulse Wave Analysis; Pulse wave velocity; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Vascular Stiffness - physiology; Brazil; Childhood socioeconomic position; Arterial stiffness; Life-course epidemiology; Health inequalities; Maternal education; Pulse wave velocity; Birth weight
• ISSN: 1047-2797; 1873-2585
• DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2019.03.007

We investigated the association between social and nutritional adversities in childhood and increased arterial stiffness in adulthood, according to race/skin color. We used baseline data (2008–2010) from 13,365 adults (aged 34–75 years) from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Arterial stiffness was assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV). Childhood social and nutritional adversities were assessed by maternal education and birth weight. Race/skin color was self-reported. The lower the maternal education, the higher the cfPWV in adulthood in Whites, Browns, and Blacks. This association was no longer significant after adjusting for the participant's education level in Whites, but it persisted after full adjustment among Browns (low vs. high maternal education: β = 0.18, 95% confidence interval: 0.01; 0.34) and Blacks (low vs. high maternal education: β = 0.44, 95% confidence interval: 0.18; 0.70). On the other hand, the association between low birth weight and higher cfPWV was found only among Whites. Our findings regarding the association between maternal education and arterial stiffness are consistent with the disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality in Blacks and Browns. The fact that the association between birth weight and arterial stiffness was only present in Whites may have reflected a survival bias.