A Life Course Approach to Chronic Disease Epidemiology

by Kuh, Diana; Ben-Shlomo, Yoav

• ISBN13: 9780192627827
• ISBN10: 0192627821
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-10-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Recent epidemiological research has forced us to question our current beliefs that the causes of coronary heart disease and cancer arise in adulthood. A new school of thought has emerged which argues that the chronic diseases prevalent in adult life have their origins during gestation, infancy, and childhood. A large body of evidence for this hypothesis has built up from research findings scattered throughout the scientific journals. In A Life Course Approach to Adult Disease , researchers actively involved in this area critically review and examine the evidence for this hypothesis. In particular, the impact of factors acting in early life, and those acting later in the life course is assessed for cardiovascular, respiratory, and allergic diseases, as well as diabetes, hypertension, and breast cancer. The extent to which early life factors explain variations in disease risk for both individuals and populations is discussed. The book begins by presenting the historical development of ideas concerning chronic disease aetiology, and examines direct evidence for the role of in-utero programming and other pre-adult factors in the aetiology of many common diseases. The second section discusses the importance of socio-cultural influences on biological risk as well as the determinants of fetal growth and development. The book then goes on to look at the temporal, geographical, and social variations in disease frequency. The final section examines the role of interventions to alter fetal development and child growth, and the implications for future health policy. Throughout the book, the authors argue that the adoption of a life-course approach to the study of disease could greatly improve our understanding of the aetiology of chronic diseases, present possibilities for prevention, and have profound implications for health policy decision making.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	xvii
SECTION A. BACKGROUND	3	(42)
1 Introduction: a life course approach to the aetiology of adult chronic disease	3	(12)
Diana Kuh
Yoav Ben-Shlomo
2 The life course and adult chronic disease: an historical perspective with particular reference to coronary heart disease	15	(30)
Diana Kuh
George Davey Smith
SECTION B. DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASE RISK THROUGHOUT LIFE	45	(100)
3 Preadult influences on cardiovascular disease and cancer	45	(33)
David Leon
Yoav Ben-Shlomo
4 Diabetes and insulin action	78	(23)
Paul McKeigue
5 Respiratory and allergic diseases	101	(20)
David P Strachan
6 Blood pressure and hypertension	121	(24)
Peter Whincup
Derek Cook
SECTION C. BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL PROCESSES	145	(56)
7 Fetal growth and development: the role of nutrition and other factors	145	(24)
Ivan J Perry
8 Social pathways between childhood and adult health	169	(32)
Diana Kuh
Chris Power
David Blane
Mel Bartley
SECTION D. EXPLAINING DISEASE PATTERNS	201	(76)
9 Time trends	201	(19)
David P Strachan
Ivan J Perry
10 Geography and migration	220	(22)
Jonathan Elford
Yoav Ben-Shlomo
11 Socioeconomic differentials	242	(35)
George Davey Smith
SECTION E. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND FUTURE RESEARCH	277	(32)
12 Should we intervene to improve fetal growth?	277	(19)
K. S. Joseph
Michael Kramer
13 Conclusions	296	(13)
Yoav Ben-Shlomo
Diana Kuh
Index	309