Birth weight and maternal socioeconomic circumstances were inversely related to systolic blood pressure among Afro-Caribbean young adults

Objective In this study we examined the effects of birth weight (BWT) and early life socioeconomic circumstances (SEC) on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) among Jamaican young adults. Study Design and Setting Longitudinal study of 364 men and 430 women from the Jamaica 1986 Birth Cohort Study. Information on BWT and maternal SEC at child’s birth was linked to information collected at 18-20 years old. Sex-specific multilevel linear regression models were used to examine whether adult SBP/DBP were associated with BWT and maternal SEC. Results In unadjusted models, SBP was inversely related to BWT z-score in both men (β, -0.82 mmHg) and women (β, -1.18 mmHg) but achieved statistical significance for women only. In the fully adjusted model, one standard deviation increase in BWT was associated with 1.16 mmHg reduction in SBP among men (95%CI 2.15 to 0.17; p=0.021) and 1.34 mmHg reduction in SBP among women (95%CI 2.21 to 0.47; p=0.003). Participants whose mothers had lower SEC had higher SBP compared to those with mothers of high SEC (β, 3.4-4.8 mmHg for men, p<0.05 for all SEC categories, and 1.8-2.1 for women, p>0.05) Conclusion SBP was inversely related to maternal SEC and BWT among Jamaican young adults.