Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33413236›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2021

Impact of early life famine exposure on adulthood anthropometry among survivors of the 1983-1985 Ethiopian Great famine: a historical cohort study.

Getachew Arage, Tefera Belachew, Kemal Hajmahmud, Mubarek Abera, Fedilu Abdulhay, Misra Abdulahi, Kalkidan Hassen Abate

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Getachew ArageDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia. getachewarage2004@gmail.com.
Tefera BelachewDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Kemal HajmahmudDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Mubarek AberaDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Fedilu AbdulhayDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Misra AbdulahiDepartment of Population and Family Heath, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Kalkidan Hassen AbateDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Jimma University · ETDebre Tabor University · ET

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNutritional insult in early life brings adaptive changes in body structure and functioning that could remain throughout the affected individual's life course. The long term impact of early life famine exposure on adulthood anthropometric measurements has been recorded in previous studies. However, the results were contradictory. Hence, we extend this study to examine the impact of famine exposure during early life on adulthood's anthropometry among survivors of the 1983-85 Ethiopian great famine.

methodsA total of 1384 adult men and women survived from 1983 to 85 Ethiopian great famine were included in the study. Famine exposure status was classified into five groups: early life-exposed, prenatal-exposed, postnatal-exposed, adolescence-exposed, and non-exposed based on self-reported age and birthdate of the participants. Prenatal, post-natal, and adolescence exposed groups were considered as early life exposed. Following a standard procedure, anthropometric measurements were taken. A linear regression analysis was used to analyze the impact of famine exposure on adult anthropometric measurements adjusted for all possible covariates. The effect of famine exposure on overweight, general obesity, and abdominal obesity was examined using multinomial and binary logistic regression analysis.

resultCompared to non-exposed groups, adult height was lower by 1.83 cm (β = - 1.83; 95% CI: - 3.05, - 0.58), 1.35 cm (β = - 1.35; 95% CI: - 2.56, - 0.14) and 2.07 cm (β = - 2.07 cm; 95% CI: - 3.31, - 0.80) among early life, prenatal and post-natal exposed groups, respectively. Likewise, famine exposure during early life (β = 0.02; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.03), prenatal (β = 0.03; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.03) and post-natal life (β = 0.02; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.03) was positively associated with increased waist to height ratio. However, none of the above exposures resulted in a significant association with body mass index (P > 0. 05). Additionally, exposure to famine during early stage of life was not associated with increased risk of overweight, general obesity and abdominal obesity in adults.

conclusionDecreased adult height and increased waist-to-height ratio were associated with early life exposure to famine, particularly prenatal and post-natal exposure. These results therefore underscore the significance of avoiding undernutrition in early life, which tends to be important for achieving once potential adult height and to minimize the increased risk of anthropometric markers of abdominal obesity such as waist to height ratio in later life.

Indexed as

Prenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsStarvationAdolescentAdultChinaCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFamineFemaleHumansMalePregnancySurvivorsAnthropometric measurementsEarly lifeEthiopian great famineFamine exposure

Identifiers

PMID33413236
PMCPMC7792120
OpenAlexW3119910493

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.