Associations between hypertension with reproductive and menopausal factors: An integrated women's health programme (IWHP) study.

Background: Women are less likely to have classic cardiovascular risk factors than men, and events during their reproductive and menopausal years may increase hypertension risk. The aim of this study is to examine woman-specific factors, including menstrual, reproductive and pregnancy complications, in relation to the prevalence of hypertension in mid-life Asian women.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 1146 healthy women aged 45-69 years, from a multi-ethnic Asian cohort.

Menopausal symptoms in midlife Singaporean women: Prevalence rates and associated factors from the Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP).

Objective: Menopausal symptoms can substantially impact quality of life. We studied somatic, psychological, and urogenital symptoms and their associated factors.

Design: Cross-sectional study of healthy midlife Singaporean women from three major Asian ethnic groups.

Small for gestational age preterm infants and later adiposity and height: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Overweight and obesity and their consequent morbidities are important worldwide health problems. Some research suggests excess adiposity origins may begin in fetal life, but unknown is whether this applies to infants born preterm.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the association between small for gestational age (SGA) birth and later adiposity and height among those born preterm.

The clinical performance and population health impact of birthweight-for-gestational age indices at term gestation.

Background: The assessment of birthweight for gestational age and the identification of small- and large-for-gestational age (SGA and LGA) infants remain contentious, despite the recent creation of the Intergrowth 21st Project and World Health Organisation (WHO) birthweight-for-gestational age standards.

Objective: We carried out a study to identify birthweight-for-gestational age cut-offs, and corresponding population-based, Intergrowth 21st and WHO centiles associated with higher risks of adverse neonatal outcomes, and to evaluate their ability to predict serious neonatal morbidity and neonatal mortality (SNMM) at term gestation.

Methods: The study population was based on non-anomalous, singleton live births between 37 and 41 weeks' gestation in the United States from 2003 to 2017.

Associations of reading language preference with muscle strength and physical performance: Findings from the Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP).

Background: The contribution of language preference and ethnicity to muscle strength and physical performance is unclear. We examined the associations of reading language preferences with muscle strength and performance in Chinese women and compared them to other ethnicities.

Methods: The Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP) cohort comprised community-dwelling, midlife Singaporean women aged 45-69.

Small for date preterm infants and risk of higher blood pressure in later life: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Historical reports suggest that infants born small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk for high blood pressure (BP) at older ages after adjustment for later age body size. Such adjustment may be inappropriate since adiposity is a known cause of cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

Objectives: To assess the association between SGA births and later BP among preterm births, considering potential background confounders and over-adjustment for later body size.

Mid-pregnancy and postpartum maternal mental health and infant sleep in the first year of life.

Perinatal depression and anxiety are common and associated with sleep problems in the offspring. Depression and anxiety are commonly comorbid, yet often studied independently. Our study used an integrative measure of anxiety and depressive symptoms to examine the associations of maternal mental health (mid-pregnancy and postnatal) with infant sleep during the first year of life.

The Associations between Upper and Lower Body Muscle Strength and Diabetes among Midlife Women.

We hypothesized that a combined index of upper and lower body muscle strength would be more strongly associated with diabetes than either measure alone. Women recruited into the Integrated Women's Health Program had their handgrip strength (HGS) measured using a dynamometer and underwent a timed 5-repetition chair stand (RCS) test. HGS < 18 kg and RCS performance ≥ 12 s assessed upper and lower body strength, respectively, both individually and combined in a muscle strength index (MSI).

Associations of maternal and foetoplacental factors with prehypertension/hypertension in early childhood.

Objective: To evaluate whether characterization of maternal and foetoplacental factors beyond birthweight can enable early identification of children at risk of developing prehypertension/hypertension.

Methods: We recruited 693 mother-offspring dyads from the GUSTO prospective mother-offspring cohort. Prehypertension/hypertension at age 6 years was identified using the simplified paediatric threshold of 110/70 mmHg.

Differences in birthweight by maternal and paternal nativity status in Canada.

Background: Parental nativity, as well as duration of residence of foreign-born parents in the host country, has been shown to be associated with size at birth. However, most studies have focused on maternal nativity status only and have not accounted for important characteristics of both parents.

Objective: To explore whether maternal and paternal nativity and length of residence (LOR) are independently associated with birthweight for gestational age in a representative sample of infants in Canada.

Sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction in midlife Singaporean women: A prospective cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors.

Objectives: To examine factors relating to both sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction in midlife Singaporean women.

Study Design: Sociodemographic, medical/lifestyle factors, physical activity, BMI, handgrip strength (HGS) and physical performance data collected from healthy Chinese, Indian, and Malay women, aged 45-69 years, attending gynaecology clinics.

Main Outcome Measures: Sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction (defined as total score ≤ 26.

Analysis of Maternal Prenatal Weight and Offspring Cognition and Behavior: Results From the Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT) Cohort.

Importance: Prenatal experiences can influence fetal brain development.

Objective: To examine associations of maternal prenatal body mass index (BMI) with cognition and behavior of offspring born full-term.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study examined follow-up data from a breastfeeding promotion intervention at 31 hospitals and affiliated polyclinics in the Republic of Belarus.

Bias in comparisons of mortality among very preterm births: A cohort study.

Background: Several studies of prenatal determinants and neonatal morbidity and mortality among very preterm births have resulted in unexpected and paradoxical findings. We aimed to compare perinatal death rates among cohorts of very preterm births (24-31 weeks) with rates among all births in these groups (≥24 weeks), using births-based and fetuses-at-risk formulations.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study of singleton live births and stillbirths ≥24 weeks' gestation using population-based data from the United States and Canada (2006-2015).

The longitudinal association between early-life screen viewing and abdominal adiposity-findings from a multiethnic birth cohort study.

Importance: Screen viewing in adults has been associated with greater abdominal adiposity, with the magnitude of associations varying by sex and ethnicity, but the evidence is lacking at younger ages. We aimed to investigate sex- and ethnic-specific associations of screen-viewing time at ages 2 and 3 years with abdominal adiposity measured by magnetic resonance imaging at age 4.5 years.

Higher risk of type 2 diabetes in women with hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: To assess the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in relation to body mass index (BMI) and the hyperandrogenic (HA) PCOS phenotype.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Setting: Data from six Swedish national registers, with participants being followed for a maximum of 19 years.

Housing conditions and adverse birth outcomes among Indigenous people in Canada.

Objectives: Poor housing conditions and household crowding have been identified as important health concerns for Indigenous populations in many countries but have not been explored in relation to adverse birth outcomes in these populations. We investigated housing conditions and adverse birth outcomes in a nationally representative sample of Indigenous people in Canada.

Methods: Data were from a cohort of births between May 2004 and May 2006 created by linking birth and infant death registration data with the 2006 Canadian census.

Trajectories of Systolic Blood Pressure in Children: Risk Factors and Cardiometabolic Correlates.

Objective: To identify systolic blood pressure (SBP) percentile trajectories in children and to describe the early-life risk factors and cardiometabolic correlates of those trajectories.

Study Design: Using age-, sex-, and height-specific SBP percentiles based on the American Academy of Pediatrics reference, we examined SBP trajectories using latent class mixed models from ages 3 to 8 years (n = 844) from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes-study, a Singaporean mother-offspring cohort study. We analyzed associations between SBP trajectories and early-life risk factors using multinomial logistic regression and differences across trajectories in cardiometabolic outcomes using multiple linear regression.

Stillbirth in Canada: anachronistic definition and registration processes impede public health surveillance and clinical care.

The archaic definition and registration processes for stillbirth currently prevalent in Canada impede both clinical care and public health. The situation is fraught because of definitional problems related to the inclusion of induced abortions at ≥20 weeks' gestation as stillbirths: widespread uptake of prenatal diagnosis and induced abortion for serious congenital anomalies has resulted in an artefactual temporal increase in stillbirth rates in Canada and placed the country in an unfavourable position in international (stillbirth) rankings. Other problems with the Canadian stillbirth definition and registration processes extend to the inclusion of fetal reductions (for multi-fetal pregnancy) as stillbirths, and the use of inconsistent viability criteria for reporting stillbirth.

Analysis of Gene Expression Using lacZ Reporter Mouse Lines.

Reporter mice transgenically expressing the bacterial (E. coli) lacZ gene encoding β-galactosidase (β-gal, EC 3.2.

Predictors of circulating vitamin D levels in healthy mid-life Singaporean women.

Unlabelled: Vitamin D levels were lowest in Indian and Malay compared to Chinese women, and in younger and employed women. The main reason for hypovitaminosis D in study women was deficient cutaneous production. Supplementation in regions with abundant sunshine should consider ethnicity and opportunities for exposure to sunlight.