Childhood socioeconomic position, gender, adult body mass index, and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus over 34 years in the Alameda County Study.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
We examined the association between childhood socioeconomic position and incidence of type 2 diabetes and the effects of gender and adult body mass index (BMI).

METHODS:
We studied 5913 participants in the Alameda County Study from 1965 to 1999 who were diabetes free at baseline (1965). Cox proportional hazards models estimated diabetes risk associated with childhood socioeconomic position and combined childhood socioeconomic position-adult BMI categories in pooled and gender-stratified samples. Demographic confounders and potential pathway components (physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, depression, health care access) were included as covariates.

RESULTS:
Low childhood socioeconomic position was associated with excess diabetes risk, especially among women. Race and body composition accounted for some of this excess risk. The association between childhood socioeconomic position and diabetes incidence differed by adult BMI category in the pooled and women-only groups. Adjustment for race and behaviors attenuated the risk attributable to low childhood socioeconomic position among the obese group only.

CONCLUSIONS:
Childhood socioeconomic position was a robust predictor of incident diabetes, especially among women. A cumulative risk effect was observed for both childhood socioeconomic position and adult BMI, especially among women.

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Author information

Author/s: Maty, Siobhan C (SC); Lynch, John W (JW); Raghunathan, Trivellore E (TE); Kaplan, George A (GA);

Affiliation: School of Community Health, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA. maty(-atsign-)pdx.edu

Grants: AG-011375 (Agency:United States NIA)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: American journal of public health (Am J Public Health), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Aug; vol 98 (issue 8) : pp 1486-94

Dates: Created 2008/07/09; Completed 2008/08/12;

PMID: 18556612, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Body Mass Index
California - epidemiology
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; epidemiology
Female
Humans
Incidence
Longitudinal Studies
Male

Male
Middle Aged
Overweight - complications; epidemiology
Proportional Hazards Models
Questionnaires
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Social Class
Socioeconomic Factors

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