The NHLBI Growth and Health Study (NGHS)

Objectives:

To investigate racial differences in dietary, physical activity, family, and psychosocial factors associated with the development of obesity from pre-adolescence through maturation between African-American and white girls. Secondarily, the NGHS sought to examine the effects of obesity on cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Background:

Obesity is a major contributing factor to several predictors of coronary heart disease such as hypertension, a poor lipid profile and diabetes. Both genetic and environmental factors play a significant role in the development of obesity, and there is evidence to suggest that obesity in childhood will likely carry over into adulthood. Prevention of obesity in early childhood could provide significant long term health benefits. A greater understanding of the factors contributing to childhood obesity is required for the establishment of effective weight reduction intervention programs. To this end, the National Growth and Health Study was initiated in 1985 as a multicenter study of the development of obesity among black and white pre-adolescent girls.

Subjects:

The NHLBI National Growth and Health Study recruited girls 9 and 10 years of age in two communities (Richmond, California and Cincinnati, Ohio) and also from families enrolled in a health maintenance organization in the Washington, D.C. area. A total of 2,379 girls were enrolled in the study between 1987-88 and were followed for 9 years. Slightly more than half of the cohort was African-American.

Design:

Subjects had annual examinations, and data collected included: physical examination, anthropometric measurements, dietary information including food pattern and nutrient intake, physical activity, lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein profiles, family socioeconomic status, and psychosocial information.