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Effects of prenatal exposure to the 1983–1985 Ethiopian great famine on the metabolic syndrome in adults: a historical cohort study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2020

Getachew Arage*
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, 272, Ethiopia Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, 378, Ethiopia
Tefera Belachew
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, 378, Ethiopia
Habtamu Hassen
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, 378, Ethiopia
Mubarek Abera
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, 378, Ethiopia
Fedilu Abdulhay
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, 378, Ethiopia
Misra Abdulahi
Affiliation:
Department of Population and Family Heath, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, 378, Ethiopia
Kalkidan Hassen Abate
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, 378, Ethiopia
*
*Corresponding author: Getachew Arage, email getachewarage2004@gmail.com
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Abstract

The Ethiopian great famine was one of the severe forms of global famines ever documented in Africa as well as in the recent history of the world. Earlier famine studies, as natural experiments, had tested the association between prenatal famine exposure and the metabolic syndrome and reported heterogeneous findings. Hence, this study aimed at evaluating the effects of prenatal exposure to the 1983–1985 Ethiopian great famine on the metabolic syndrome in adults. Self-reported birth date and age of the study subjects were used to classify the status of famine exposure. The International Diabetes Federation criterion was used to assess the metabolic syndrome. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to examine relationship between prenatal famine exposure and the metabolic syndrome. The findings showed that, adjusted for covariates, adults who had prenatal exposure to famine were 2·94 times more likely to develop the metabolic syndrome compared with non-exposed groups (adjusted OR (AOR) 2·94, 95 % CI 1·66, 5·27). More specifically, famine exposure during prenatal life was associated with increased waist circumference (AOR 2·27 cm, 95 % CI 0·28, 4·26), diastolic blood pressure (AOR 2·47 mmHg, 95 % CI 0·84, 4·11), TAG (AOR 0·20 mmol/l, 95 % CI 0·10, 0·28) and fasting blood glucose (AOR 0·24 mmol/l, 95 % CI 0·04, 0·43) compared with the control groups. Higher proportion of the metabolic syndrome, risky anthropometric and dyslipidaemic parameters were observed among exposed groups. This finding adds further evidence on fetal origin of adult diseases hypothesis. The finding may imply that one potential means of preventing adulthood metabolic syndrome is to optimise maternal nutrition during pregnancy.

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Type
Full Papers
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society
Figure 0

Fig. 1. Flow diagram representing sample recruitment.

Figure 1

Table 1. Background characteristics of Ethiopian great famine-exposed and non-exposed groups in North Wollo Zone, Raya Kobo district, Northeast Ethiopia, 2019†(Mean values and standard deviations; numbers and percentages)

Figure 2

Fig. 2. Magnitude of the metabolic syndrome among famine-exposed and non-exposed adults. Exposure status: , non-exposed; , prenatal-exposed.

Figure 3

Fig. 3. Metabolic syndrome between famine-exposed and non-exposed groups stratified by sex. , Female; , male.

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Fig. 4. Metabolic syndrome between famine-exposed and non-exposed groups stratified by residence. Residence: , rural; , urban.

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Table 2. Associations between prenatal famine exposure and adulthood metabolic syndrome, North Wollo Zone, Raya Kobo district, Northeast Ethiopia, 2019†(Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95 % confidence intervals)

Figure 6

Table 3. Associations between prenatal famine exposure and adulthood metabolic risk markers, North Wollo Zone, Raya Kobo district, Northeast Ethiopia, 2019†(Mean values and standard deviations; mean differences and 95 % confidence intervals; medians and interquartile ranges (IQR))

Figure 7

Table 4. Associations between famine exposure in prenatal life and adulthood metabolic syndrome stratified by sex and residency in Raya Kobo district, Northeast Ethiopia, 2019†(Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95 % confidence intervals)

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