Growth, socioeconomic position and later life outcomes in Guatemala, 1953–2017

It is well-established that early life environmental exposures and later life health and non-communicable disease (NCD) risk are related, however, life course evidence from low- and middle-income countries is currently limited. Guatemala, a middle-income country located in Central America, is both one of the most income inequal and most stunted countries in the world. It is also the site of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) Longitudinal Study of Child and Adolescent Development. The study followed the growth of over 40,000 urban school children of different socioeconomic position (SEP) groups between 1953-1999. Previous research, on subsamples of the study, has identified socioeconomic inequalities in both physical growth and cognitive ability but the later life health of UVG Study individuals is unknown, as are the broader patterns of growth and development of the entire sample. [Continues.]