Table 4.
Coefficientsa for Total, Direct, and Indirect Effects (Mediated by Percentage of Body Fat at Ages 8–10 Years) of Birth Weight for Length and Postnatal Weight Gain on Cardiovascular Risk at Ages 10–12 Years Among 395 Children From the QUALITY Cohort, Quebec, Canada, 2005–2011
| Effect | Total Cholesterol | LDL Cholesterol | Triglycerides | HDL Cholesterol | Systolic BP, z (95% CI) | Diastolic BP, z (95% CI) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth weight for length | ||||||||||||
| Total | 0.3 | (−1.1 to 1.7) | 0.7 | (−1.3 to 2.7) | −2.8 | (−6.6 to 1.0) | 0.5 | (−1.2 to 2.1) | −0.03 | (−0.09 to 0.03) | −0.01 | (−0.05 to 0.02) |
| Direct | −0.4 | (−2.1 to 1.2) | −0.4 | (−2.8 to 2.0) | −3.1 | (−7.4 to 1.2) | 0.4 | (−1.5 to 2.3) | −0.04 | (−0.1 to 0.03) | −0.05 | (−0.09 to −0.002) |
| Indirect | 0.7 | (−0.2 to 1.7) | 1.1 | (−0.3 to 2.5) | 0.3 | (−2.5 to 3.0) | 0.08 | (−1.1 to 1.3) | 0.004 | (−0.04 to 0.05) | 0.03 | (0.004 to 0.05) |
| Postnatal weight gain | ||||||||||||
| Total | −0.3 | (−0.8 to 0.3) | −0.3 | (−1.1 to 0.5) | 1.4 | (−0.2 to 2.9) | −0.7 | (−1.4 to −0.2) | 0.01 | (−0.01 to 0.04) | −0.01 | (−0.03 to 0.004) |
| Direct | −0.4 | (−1.0 to 0.2) | −0.6 | (−1.4 to 0.2) | 0.1 | (−1.3 to 1.6) | −0.2 | (−0.8 to 0.5) | 0.0004 | (−0.02 to 0.03) | −0.02 | (−0.03 to −0.002) |
| Indirect | 0.2 | (0.007 to 0.3) | 0.3 | (0.07–0.5) | 1.2 | (0.6–1.8) | −0.5 | (−0.8 to −0.2) | 0.01 | (0.005–0.02) | 0.006 | (0.002–0.01) |
BP indicates blood pressure; CI, confidence interval; HDL, high‐density lipoprotein; LDL, low‐density lipoprotein; QUALITY, Quebec Adipose and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth.
Path analysis is applied separately for each outcome variable, models include the 2 main exposure variables (birth weight for length and postnatal weight gain), the suspected mediator (percentage of body fat at ages 8–10 years) and covariates (child's age, sex, parental education, gestational age, breastfeeding, and in utero exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus, maternal hypertension, and maternal smoking). The β coefficients (95% CI) associated with lipid outcomes represent the percentage increase or decrease in the outcome for a 1‐U increase in the corresponding independent variable. The β coefficients (95% CI) associated with BP outcomes represent an increase or decrease in BP z score for a 1‐U increase in the corresponding independent variable.