Twins and maternal smoking: ordeals for the fetal origins hypothesis? A cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the direct and indirect effects of being a twin, maternal smoking, birth weight, and mother's height on blood pressure at ages 9 and 18 years.

Design

Longitudinal study.

Subjects

Cohort born in 1972-3.

Setting

Dunedin, New Zealand.

Main outcome measure

Blood pressure at ages 9 and 18 years.

Results

Compared with singletons, twins had a systolic blood pressure 4.55 (95% confidence interval 1.57 to 7.52) mm Hg lower at age 9 after adjustment for direct and indirect effects of sex, maternal smoking, mother's height, socioeconomic status, and birth weight, as well as concurrent height and body mass index. Blood pressure in children whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy was 1.54 (0.46 to 2.62) mm Hg higher than in those whose mo

SUBMITTER: Williams S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC27807 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature