Life-course trajectories of cardiovascular disease risk factors in rural India: Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study (APCAPS) 2003–2023
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years in South Asia, with adverse trends in CVD risk seen in rural residents in recent decades. Assessment of life-course trajectories of CVD risk factors is important to understand CVD aetiology. METHODS: The Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents cohort Study included all children (n = 2601) born during 1987-90 and their mothers (n = 1963) residing in 29 villages of South India. Participants were followed up in 2003-05, 2009-10, 2010-12, and 2021-23. Children (n = 4777 observations, 35% female) were assessed for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, waist-height ratio, fasting glucose, and central and peripheral skinfolds. For mothers (n = 3830 observations), repeated measures of BMI were available. Linear mixed-effect models with a random slope were used to model trajectories of CVD risk factors. RESULTS: BMI increased with age and the predicted mean BMI reached the World Health Organization's increased risk action point for adult South Asians (≥23 kg/m2) at 28 years for male and 31 years for female children, while, for mothers, it was much later at 43-65 years. In male children compared with females, there was a faster progression to prediabetes, higher abdominal fat deposition, and a higher rate of increase in subscapular skinfolds. CONCLUSION: South Asians living in rural areas showed increasing trajectories of several CVD risk factors, particularly in males. This highlights the need for interventions to mitigate the potential CVD burden.
DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyag080
Authors: Chitra Sharma, Ana Goncalves Soares, Bharati Kulkarni, Nuala M Byrne, Santhi Bhogadi, Poppy Alice Carson Mallinson, Judith Lieber, Kramadhati V Rameshwar Sarma, Kankipati V Radha Krishna, Hannah Kuper, Ruby Gupta, Poornima Prabhakaran, Vipin Gupta, Gagandeep Kaur Walia, Aastha Aggarwal, Santosh Kumar Banjara, Hemant Mahajan, Sanjay Kinra, Kiran D K Ahuja, Andrew P Hills
Institutions: University of Tasmania, University of Bristol, MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Indian Council of Medical Research, National Institute of Nutrition, Centre for Chronic Disease Control, Public Health Foundation of India, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of Delhi
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,514
Awards: Nutritional challenges, abdominal adiposity and type 2 diabetes in Indians., Dynamic longitudinal exposome trajectories in cardiovascular and metabolic non-communicable diseases, G2632957648, An Integrated Life-Course Approach for Person-Centred Solutions and Care for Ageing with Multi-morbidity in the European Regions - STAGE; Stay Healthy Through Ageing, G6096230314, G6208931321, G7563630961, G7871684704, G7876645924, Dietary ompatterns, microbiome, metabole and cardiovascular disease risk in transitioning India, Molecular drivers & predictors of pregnancy complications & future health, G8383967617
OpenAlex ID: W7165809596