Using Super-Imposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) to relate pubertal growth to bone health in later life: the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Health and Development

T. J. Cole, Diana Kuh, W Johnson, K Ward, Laura Howe, J E Adams, Rebecca Hardy, Ken K Ong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)
396 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: To explore associations between pubertal growth and later bone health in a cohort with infrequent measurements, using another cohort with more frequent measurements to support the modelling, data from the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Health and Development (2–26 years, 4901/30 004 subjects/measurements) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children (ALSPAC) (5–20 years) (10 896/74 120) were related to National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) bone health outcomes at 60–64 years.

Methods: NSHD data were analysed using Super-Imposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) growth curve analysis, either alone or jointly with ALSPAC data. Improved estimation of pubertal growth parameters of size, tempo and velocity was assessed by changes in model fit and correlations with contemporary measures of pubertal timing. Bone outcomes of radius [trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) and diaphysis cross-sectional area (CSA)] were regressed on the SITAR parameters, adjusted for current body size.

Results: The NSHD SITAR parameters were better estimated in conjunction with ALSPAC, i.e. more strongly correlated with pubertal timing. Trabecular vBMD was associated with early height tempo, whereas diaphysis CSA was related to weight size, early tempo and slow velocity, the bone outcomes being around 15% higher for the better vs worse growth pattern.

Conclusions: By pooling NSHD and ALSPAC data, SITAR more accurately summarized pubertal growth and weight gain in NSHD, and in turn demonstrated notable associations between pubertal timing and later bone outcomes. These associations give insight into the importance of the pubertal period for future skeletal health and osteoporosis risk.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1125-1134
Number of pages10
JournalInternational Journal of Epidemiology
Volume45
Issue number4
Early online date27 Jul 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2016

Keywords

  • SITAR
  • aging
  • height
  • weight
  • puberty
  • bone density

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