Infant and childhood growth dynamics: Modelling, prenatal correlates, and lifecourse outcome

Elhakeem Ahmed University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Childhood obesity rates have increased fourfold in the last three decades. Growth dynamics in infancy and childhood highlight early developmental processes driving the risk of increasing adiposity. Thus, it is important to characterize early life growth and identify its correlates and outcomes. I will use data from multiple population-based birth cohort studies to present some of my ongoing work in this area. I will first present a study comparing mixed effects models with the aim of identifying the best method for modelling infant to childhood growth curves, for the purpose of estimating growth curve features (BMI peak, rebound, and area under curve). I will then present two studies that investigate how birth weight for gestational age centiles and assisted reproductive technology conception associate with Infant and childhood growth dynamics. Finally, I will present a study that aims to examine how early life growth dynamics relate to long- term cardio-metabolic trajectories up to adulthood. Keywords: Growth curves, P-splines, mixed effects, adiposity rebound