Barker's hypothesis among the global poor: positive long-term cardiovascular effects of in utero famine exposure

Ciancio, A. , Behrman, J., Kämpfen, F., Kohler, I. V., Maurer, J., Mwapasa, V. and Kohler, H.-P. (2023) Barker's hypothesis among the global poor: positive long-term cardiovascular effects of in utero famine exposure. Demography, 60(6), pp. 1747-1766. (doi: 10.1215/00703370-11052790) (PMID:37937904) (PMCID:PMC10875974)

Abstract

An influential literature on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) has documented that poor conditions in utero lead to higher risk of cardiovascular disease at older ages. Evidence from low-income countries (LICs) has hitherto been missing, despite the fact that adverse in utero conditions are far more common in LICs. We find that Malawians exposed in utero to the 1949 Nyasaland famine have better cardiovascular health 70 years later. These findings highlight the potential context specificity of the DOHaD hypothesis, with in utero adversity having different health implications among aging LIC individuals who were exposed to persistent poverty.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: We gratefully acknowledge support from the National Institutes of Health (NICHD R01 HD053781 and R01 HD087391, and NIA R21 AG053763 and R03AG-069817), the Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development (SNF r4d grant 400640_160374), and the Population Aging Research Center and the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania (supported by NIA P30 AG12836 and NICHD R24 HD044964).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ciancio, Dr Alberto
• Authors: Ciancio, A., Behrman, J., Kämpfen, F., Kohler, I. V., Maurer, J., Mwapasa, V., and Kohler, H.-P.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Economics
• Journal Name: Demography
• Publisher: Duke University Press
• ISSN: 0070-3370
• ISSN (Online): 1533-7790
• Published Online: 08 November 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Demography 60(6):1747-1766
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence