The lifecourse approach to chronic disease proposes that factors operating not only in adult life, but also from conception, have impact on lifelong health. Among the more publicized findings in this area are associations between lower birth weight and adult cardiovascular disease mortality, incidence, and risk factors such as blood pressure. These newer investigations have led to a series of exciting research questions and opportunities concerning underlying mechanisms, relations of pre- and post-natal determinants, and implications for clinical medicine and public health. This proposed K24 award will allow Dr. Gillman and his mentees to focus intensively on this area of research for the next five years, a critical period not only for the field itself, but also for expanding his potential for significant contributions and for nurturing the next generation of patient-oriented researchers in this field.
The specific aims of this proposal are 1. Research project to examine associations among maternal gestational protein intake, placental hormone activity, and blood pressure in the offspring. This project will take advantage of the infrastructure provided by an ongoing NIH-funded prospective cohort study of pregnant women and their offspring (Project Viva). 2. To provide a nourishing professional environment for the training and advancement of beginning clinical researchers, who will conduct and analyze data from Project Viva and other ongoing patient-oriented research studies in the area of the lifecourse approach to chronic disease. Major foci will be in the areas of pregnancy and infancy determinants of a. childhood cardiovascular risk factors, chiefly blood pressure, b. asthma in early childhood, and c. development of obesity in childhood and adolescence.
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