Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34831754›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021

The Magnitude and Directions of the Associations between Early Life Factors and Metabolic Syndrome Differ across Geographical Locations among Migrant and Non-Migrant Ghanaians-The RODAM Study.

Thijs G W van der Heijden, Felix P Chilunga, Karlijn A C Meeks, Juliet Addo, Ina Danquah, Erik J Beune, Silver K Bahendeka, Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch, Frank P Mockenhaupt, Mitzi M Waltz and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 17% 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Cardiovascular Disease Burden among African Migrants.Current atherosclerosis reports · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 8 institutions in 6 countries.

Thijs G W van der HeijdenDepartment of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Felix P ChilungaDepartment of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Karlijn A C MeeksCenter for Research on Genomics & Global Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3032-405X
Juliet AddoDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK.
Ina DanquahHeidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3222-3498
Erik J BeuneDepartment of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Silver K BahendekaMother Kevin Postgraduate Medical School (MKPGMS), Uganda Martyrs University, Kampala 32297, Uganda.ORCID 0000-0001-8080-7872
Kerstin Klipstein-GrobuschJulius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre, Utrecht University, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Frank P MockenhauptInstitute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8117-5421
Mitzi M WaltzAthena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-9089-2545
Charles AgyemangDepartment of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-3882-7295
GGD Amsterdam · NLCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin · DEHeidelberg University · DELondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBNational Institutes of Health · USUganda Martyrs University · UGUniversity of the Witwatersrand · ZAVrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NL

Funding

Genetic epidemiology of complex diseasesZIAHG200362 · NHGRI · NATIONAL HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE · PI ROTIMI, CHARLES · 2009 to 2025
$54.7M
European Commission 278901Intramural NIH HHS ZIA HG200362
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEarly-life factors (ELFs) such as childhood nutrition and childhood socio-economic status could be the drivers of the increase in metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) among African populations, but data are lacking. This study evaluated whether markers of childhood nutritional status and childhood socio-economic status were associated with MetSyn in adulthood among migrant Ghanaians living in Europe and non-migrant Ghanaians living in Ghana.

methodsData from the Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants (RODAM) study, involving 2008 migrants and 2320 non-migrants aged ≥25 years, were analysed for this study. We used leg-length to height ratio (LHR), which is an anthropometric marker of childhood nutritional status, and parental education, which is a marker of childhood socio-economic status, as proxies. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by logistic regression with adjustments for demographic and lifestyle factors.

resultsParental education was higher among Ghanaians in Europe than among residents in rural and urban Ghana. The prevalence of MetSyn was 18.5%, 27.7% and 33.5% for rural, urban, and migrant residents, respectively. LHR was inversely associated with MetSyn among migrants. Compared with high paternal education, individuals with low paternal education had lower odds of MetSyn in migrants (AOR 0.71 95% CI 0.54-0.94). In contrast, compared with high maternal education, individuals with intermediate maternal education had higher odds of MetSyn in urban Ghanaians (AOR 4.53 95% CI 1.50-3.74). No associations were found among rural Ghanaians.

conclusionThe magnitude and direction of the associations between ELFs and MetSyn differ across geographical locations. Intermediate maternal education was positively associated with MetSyn among urban Ghanaians, while LHR and low paternal education were inversely associated with MetSyn among migrant Ghanaians. Further research into the interplay of genetics, environment and behaviour is needed to elucidate the underlying pathological mechanisms of MetSyn amongst migrants.

Indexed as

Metabolic SyndromeTransients and MigrantsAdultBlack PeopleCross-Sectional StudiesGhanaHumansRisk Factorsdiabetesearly life factorsmetabolic syndromemigrationobesity

Identifiers

PMID34831754
PMCPMC8622143
OpenAlexW3213253447

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.