1. ¹Pediatrics University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
2. ²Social and Preventive Medicine State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States
3. ³Epidemiology University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
4. ⁴Public Health Sciences Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA

Abstract

We have studied the relation of BP and BMI in parents to BP, obesity, and cardiovascular risk in their offspring in childhood and young adulthood. 456 children (236 male, 220 female) had BP and anthropometric measures at age 7.20.04 yrs and the same measures plus fasting insulin and lipids at age 23.10.04 yrs. Natural parents (268 fathers, 44.60.4 yrs; 429 mothers, 41.50.3 yrs), had BP and anthropometric measurements during the children's high school years. There was a significant correlation for SBP, height, weight (WT), BMI, and triceps skinfold (r=0.42-0.68, all p=0.0001) between ages 7 and 23. When children were 7, fathers' SBP was significantly related only to children's SBP (r=0.12, p=0.04), and fathers' BMI was significantly related to children's SBP (r=0.12, p=0.03), and WT, BMI, and triceps (r=0.29-0.33, all p=0.0001). Mothers' DBP was significantly related to children's BP (r=0.12, p=0.02) and mothers' BMI was significantly related to childen's BP, WT, BMI, and triceps (0.19-0.34, all p=0.0001). When the children were 23, fathers' SBP was significantly related to children's BP and WT (r=0.13, all p<0.04) and fathers' BMI was significantly related to children's BP, WT, BMI, triceps and fasting insulin (r=0.17-0.40, all p<0.006); mothers' DBP was significantly related to children's BP and BMI (r=0.16, p<0.04), and mothers' BMI was significantly related to BP, WT, BMI, triceps, and fasting insulin (r=0.22-0.42, all p=0.0001), and triglycerides, HDL-C and LDL-C (r=0.12-0.16, all p<0.01). After adjusting for children's BMI, none of the parent-child relations was significant. These results show: 1) parents' BP and BMI are significantly related to risk factors comprising the IRS in their children; and 2) BMI appears to play the major role in these relations. We speculate that the parent-child relations operate through BMI and become stronger as the children age, thus emphasizing the importance of preventing overweight during childhood development.