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An intergenerational study of birthweight: investigating the birth order effect
Author(s) -
Hyppönen Elina,
Power Chris
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2004.00089.x
Subject(s) - offspring , birth order , demography , birth weight , cohort , medicine , association (psychology) , cohort study , developmental psychology , pregnancy , psychology , biology , population , genetics , sociology , pathology , psychotherapist
In a two‐generation study of the nationwide 1958 British cohort and their offspring, we investigated the intergenerational influence of birth order on birthweight. Despite increases in own birthweight by birth order and a positive parent–offspring correlation in birthweights, there was a suggestion that parental birth order was inversely associated with offspring birthweight. This paradoxical finding was due to differential intergenerational birthweight associations, with a weaker association in later‐born compared with first‐born parents. Our findings suggest that underlying causes of a given birthweight should be taken into account in studies that investigate long term health outcomes.