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Nutrition during early childhood and subsequent fertility in Guatemala
Author(s) -
Ramakrishnan Usha,
Behrman Jere,
Grajeda Ruben,
Melgar Paul,
Stein Aryeh,
Yount Kathryn
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a614-c
Subject(s) - fertility , menarche , pregnancy , medicine , demography , socioeconomic status , confidence interval , obstetrics , population , environmental health , endocrinology , sociology , biology , genetics
The impact of improved nutrition in early childhood on subsequent fertility is uncertain. We obtained reproductive histories by interview in 2002‐2004 (n= 775) from women who participated in a nutrition intervention trial conducted in 4 villages in eastern Guatemala in the 1970s. We tested three pre‐specified interactions between type of supplement received (atole or fresco) and age of exposure to the intervention (in utero; 0–36 mo; 36–72 mo). Outcomes of interest included age at menarche and first birth, number of pregnancies/livebirths, and risk of ever being pregnant or experiencing a pregnancy loss. After adjusting for year of birth, village fixed effects, maternal and paternal schooling, parental socioeconomic status in 1975 and years since menarche, women with 100% exposure to Atole between 36–72 months of age had ~ 1 more pregnancy/ livebirth (p<0.05) than those without such exposure. The association was strongest among women whose fathers had some schooling (p< 0.05 for interaction). Women who received Atole during this age range also were more likely to have ever experienced a pregnancy loss as compared to women without such exposure (aOR (95 % Confidence Interval): 2.32 (1.06, 5.06)). No associations were observed for exposure to Atole at other ages. Although exposure to food supplementation during pregnancy and/or the first 3 y of life does not affect subsequent fertility, exposure at ages 36–72 mo did result in higher total fertility. Supported by NIH RO1‐TW005598.