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Robust determinants of neurocognitive development in children: evidence from the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2022

Chittaranjan S. Yajnik Open the ORCID record for Chittaranjan S. Yajnik [Opens in a new window] ,
Chih Ming Tan ,
Vidya Bhate ,
Souvik Bandyopadhyay ,
Ashwini Sankar  and
Rishikesh V. Behere
Chittaranjan S. Yajnik*
Affiliation:
Diabetes Unit, KEM Hospital Research Center, Pune, India
Chih Ming Tan
Affiliation:
Department of Economics & Finance, Nistler College of Business and Public Administration, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
Vidya Bhate
Affiliation:
Diabetes Unit, KEM Hospital Research Center, Pune, India Department of Psychology, Vishwakarma University, Pune, India
Souvik Bandyopadhyay
Affiliation:
Strategic Consultant, Cytel, Inc, Bengaluru, India
Ashwini Sankar
Affiliation:
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Rishikesh V. Behere
Affiliation:
Diabetes Unit, KEM Hospital Research Center, Pune, India
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Chittaranjan S. Yajnik, Director, Diabetes Unit, KEM Hospital Research Center, 489, Rasta Peth, Pune, 411011, India. Email: csyajnik@gmail.com
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Abstract

Neurocognitive development is a dynamic process over the life course and is influenced by intrauterine factors as well as later life environment. Using data from the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study from 1994 to 2008, we investigate the association of in utero, birth, and childhood conditions with offspring neurocognitive development in 686 participants of the cohort, at age 12 years. The life course exposure variables in the analysis include maternal pre-pregnancy size and nutrition during pregnancy, offspring birth measurements, nutrition and physical growth at age 12 years along with parental education and socio-economic status. We used the novel Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) approach; which has been shown to have better predictive performance over traditional tests of associations. Our study employs eight standard neurocognitive tests that measure intelligence, working memory, visuo-conceptual and verbal learning, and decision-making/attention at 12 years of age. We control for nutritional-metabolic information based on blood measurements from the pregnant mothers and the children at 12 years of age. Our findings highlight the critical role of parental education and socio-economic background in determining child neurocognitive performance. Maternal characteristics (pre-pregnancy BMI, fasting insulin during pregnancy) and child height at 12 years were also robust predictors on the BMA. A range of early factors – such as maternal folate and ferritin concentrations during pregnancy, and child’s head circumference at birth – remained important determinants of some dimensions of child’s neurocognitive development, but their associations were not robust once we account for model uncertainty. Our results suggest that intrauterine influences on long- term neurocognitive outcomes may be potentially reversible by post-birth remediation. In addition to the current nutritional interventions, public health policy should also consider social interventions in children born into families with low socio-economic status to improve human capital.

Keywords

Neurocognitive developmentparental educationlife course exposuresBayesian model averaging
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , February 2023 , pp. 110 - 121
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

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Footnotes

Chittaranjan S. Yajnik and Chih Ming Tan are joint first and corresponding authors.

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