American Journal of Epidemiology
Volume 174, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 154-164

Association between urban life-years and cardiometabolic risk (Article) (Open Access)

Kinra S.* , Andersen E. , Ben-Shlomo Y. , Bowen L. , Lyngdoh T. , Prabhakaran D. , Reddy K.S. , Ramakrishnan L. , Bharathi A. , Vaz M. , Kurpad A. , Smith G.D. , Ebrahim S.
  • a Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
  • b Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
  • c School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
  • d Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
  • e Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India
  • f Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi, India
  • g Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India
  • h Department of Cardiac Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
  • i St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, India
  • j St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, India
  • k St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, India
  • l School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
  • m Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom

Abstract

Urban living is associated with an increase in cardiometabolic risks, but the speed at which these risks are accrued over time is unknown. Using a cross-sectional sibling-pair design, the authors surveyed migrant factory workers and their spouses from 4 cities in India together with their rural-dwelling siblings and examined the associations between urban life-years and cardiometabolic risk factors. Data on 4,221 participants (39% women; mean age = 41 years) were available (2005-2007). In regression models, a 2-slope pattern for body fat (with a marked shift at 10 years) was found, whereas a common slope could be accepted for other risk factors. In men, the regression coefficients (per decade of urban life) were 2.5% in the first decade and 0.1% thereafter for body fat; 1.4 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure; and 7% for fasting insulin. Age, gender, marital status, household structure, and occupation did not influence the patterns appreciably; however, stronger gradients for adiposity were noted in migrants from lower socioeconomic positions. The findings suggest that body fat increases rapidly when one first moves to an urban environment, whereas other cardiometabolic risk factors evolve gradually. Public health interventions focused on the control of obesity in newer migrants to urban areas, particularly those from lower socioeconomic positions, may be beneficial. © 2011 The Author.

Author Keywords

Cardiovascular diseases Obesity residential mobility Urbanization risk factors diabetes mellitus, type 2

Index Keywords

residential mobility urban population urban area sibling lifestyle household cardiovascular risk regression analysis India metabolism health risk fat Cardiovascular Diseases age class human risk assessment rural population obesity hypertension Aged Urbanization Cross-Sectional Studies marriage insulin migrant worker socioeconomic conditions Humans cardiovascular disease Adolescent male female risk factor Risk Factors socioeconomics Article data set adult migration diabetes body fat systolic blood pressure Metabolic Diseases public health health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79960492789&doi=10.1093%2faje%2fkwr053&partnerID=40&md5=e42be0dd1520a4cfd4a46ebbf6c3a4cd
DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwr053
ISSN: 00029262
Cited by: 35
Original Language: English