PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Steve Turner
AU  - Anke G Posthumus
AU  - Eric A P Steegers
AU  - Amel AlMakoshi
AU  - Bahauddin Sallout
AU  - Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman
AU  - Emily Oken
AU  - Ben Kumwenda
AU  - Fatemah Alostad
AU  - Catherine Wright-Corker
AU  - Laura Watson
AU  - Diane Mak
AU  - Hiu Ching Cheung
AU  - Alice Judge
AU  - Lorna Aucott
AU  - Vincent W V Jaddoe
AU  - Isabella Annesi Maesano
AU  - Munawar Hussain Soomro
AU  - Peter Hindmarsh
AU  - Geir Jacobsen
AU  - Torstein Vik
AU  - Isolina Riaño-Galan
AU  - Ana Cristina Rodríguez-Dehli
AU  - Aitana Lertxundi
AU  - Loreto Santa Marina Rodriguez
AU  - Martine Vrijheid
AU  - Jordi Julvez
AU  - Ana Esplugues
AU  - Carmen Iñiguez
TI  - Household income, fetal size and birth weight: an analysis of eight populations
AID  - 10.1136/jech-2021-218112
DP  - 2022 Jul 01
TA  - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
PG  - 629--636
VI  - 76
IP  - 7
4099  - http://jech.bmj.com/content/76/7/629.short
4100  - http://jech.bmj.com/content/76/7/629.full
SO  - J Epidemiol Community Health2022 Jul 01; 76
AB  - Background The age at onset of the association between poverty and poor health is not understood. Our hypothesis was that individuals from highest household income (HI), compared to those with lowest HI, will have increased fetal size in the second and third trimester and birth.Methods. Second and third trimester fetal ultrasound measurements and birth measurements were obtained from eight cohorts. Results were analysed in cross-sectional two-stage individual patient data (IPD) analyses and also a longitudinal one-stage IPD analysis.Results The eight cohorts included 21 714 individuals. In the two-stage (cross-sectional) IPD analysis, individuals from the highest HI category compared with those from the lowest HI category had larger head size at birth (mean difference 0.22 z score (0.07, 0.36)), in the third trimester (0.25 (0.16, 0.33)) and second trimester (0.11 (0.02, 0.19)). Weight was higher at birth in the highest HI category. In the one-stage (longitudinal) IPD analysis which included data from six cohorts (n=11 062), head size was larger (mean difference 0.13 (0.03, 0.23)) for individuals in the highest HI compared with lowest category, and this difference became greater between the second trimester and birth. Similarly, in the one-stage IPD, weight was heavier in second highest HI category compared with the lowest (mean difference 0.10 (0 .00, 0.20)) and the difference widened as pregnancy progressed. Length was not linked to HI category in the longitudinal model.Conclusions The association between HI, an index of poverty, and fetal size is already present in the second trimester.Data are available on reasonable request. Data are available on request to the data controller for each cohort (IAM for EDEN, VWVJ for Generation R, CI for the INMA cohorts, PH for the London cohort, EO for Project Viva, ST for the Saudi and SEATON cohorts and GJ for Scandinavian SGA).