Physical capability in a rural birth cohort at the age of 52: association with early environmental, nutritional, and developmental factors

Abstract

Introduction Midlife physical capability (PC) is associated with developmental factors in the populations of economically developed countries. As far as we know, there is no information for rural populations of low- and middle-income countries. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of pre- and postnatal factors on midlife objective measures of PC in a 1966–67 birth cohort from a Mexican rural community. The hypothesis was that adverse developmental conditions are associated with low midlife PC. Methods In 1966–67, a birth cohort of all children from a poor Mexican rural community was assembled. Data on family socioeconomic status (SES), parental health and nutritional status, birth weight, postnatal growth and feeding patterns were registered. In 2018, out of the 336 cohort members, 118 were living in the community, and eighty-two of them underwent a comprehensive clinical evaluation. The evaluation included grip strength, gait velocity and chair-stand PC tests. In multivariable linear models, PC tests were the dependent variables, and prenatal, birth and postnatal factors were the independent variables. Adjustment for confounding was made with adult anthropometric, body composition, clinical and ageing status variables. Results Independent of adult health status and other ageing indicators, lower PC was associated with family organization and SES, parental nutritional status, birth weight, infant postnatal growth velocity, and weaning time. These results indicate that adverse family and environmental conditions that are prevalent in poor rural communities are associated with low midlife PC.

Prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health and its relationship with relative handgrip strength in rural northeast China

“…Among the CVH metrics, BMI, blood glucose, and total cholesterol showed a better trend with increased grip strength. Previous studies have suggested that poor rural family environment and low nutritional status of parents were negatively associated with midlife physical capability (30). Moreover, similar to some studies, we found that grip strength may be an under-recognized and controllable determinant of cardiometabolic risk factors in middle-aged and older adults in rural China (31).…”