THE iABC COHORT

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Body composition and growth in the first five years: A follow up of an Ethiopian iABC cohort study
Principal investigator: Bitiya Admassu 1,2
Co-investigators: Jonathan C.K. Wells3, Tsinuel Girma1, Gregers S. Andersen4, Kim F. Michaelsen2, Mubarek Abera1,2, Rasmus Wibaek2,4, Henrik Friis2, Pernille Kæstel2
Collaborating institutions: 1) Jimma University, 2) University of Copenhagen, 3) University College London, 4) Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, and 5) International Atomic Energy Agency.

Background, objective and methods: Linear growth faltering is one of the public health problems in developing countries. It impacts directly on child survival and later productivity. However, studies looking at body composition (BC) and growth longitudinally are scares. The aim of this study is to assess the role of early life BC on linear growth and BC in the first five years. A prospective cohort study on 644 children was made. Examination of linear growth and childhood BC in a population with unique objective data on early infancy BC will yield important insights into the role of fat and fat-free mass in fetal programming of later growth.
Future perspectives: If adequate future funding is obtained, we plan to continue the follow-up of this unique birth cohort in order to study the relationship between early-life growth and nutritional status, and educational attainment and –achievement as well as metabolic risk at 10 years of age.
Study period: July 2014 – January 2018

Future perspectives: If adequate future funding is obtained, we plan to continue the follow-up of this unique birth cohort in order to study the relationship between early-life growth and nutriti-onal status, and educational attainment and –achievement as well as metabolic risk at 10 years of age.
The graph shows four distinct growth patterns in infancy in terms of fat. What can be seen is that there are several distinct ways of growing in infancy which may have distinct consequences for later health and disease.

State of the art infant fat and lean mass assessment with th Pea PodTM and child blood pressure measurement.

Body composition and development among Ethiopian children
Principal investigator: Mubarek Abera1, 2
Co-investigators: Henrik Friss1, Tsinuel Girma2, Markos Tesfaye2, Gregers S. Andersen3, Jonatan C. Wells4, Bitiya Admassu1,2, Rasmus Wibaek1,3, Henrik Friis1, Pernille Kæstel1
Collaborating institutions: 1) University of Copenhagen, 2) Jimma University, 3) Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen and 4) University College London

Background, objective and methods: Birth weight, independent of socioeconomic status, has been identified as a predictor for child development. However, it is not known whether this relation is related to low birth weight per se or particularly related to a deficit in fat mass (FM) or fat free mass (FFM) at birth. In a response to this knowledge gap, an Ethiopian birth cohort was followed-up until the age of 5 years. Body composition was measured within 48 hours of birth and monthly for the first 6mo of life using infant air-displacement plethysmography. Child development was assessed yearly from one to five years of age using Denver Developmental Screening Test. Associations between birth and early life (first 6mo) body composition and child development will be examined.

Study period: January 2009 – November 2017.    

DENVER test of cognitive and motoric development at the JUCAN body  composition clinic.

Body composition and metabolic risk trajectories in African children
Principal investigator: Rasmus Wibæk Christensen1, 2
Co-investigators: Gregers Stig Andersen1, Henrik Friis2, Pernille Kæstel2, Tsinuel Girma3, Alemseged Abdissa3, Bitiya Admassu2,3, Mubarek Abera2,3, Kim F Michaelsen2, Jonathan CK Wells4, Dorte Vistisen1, Kissi Yesu5 and Zeleke Geto5
Collaborating institutions: 1) Steno Diabetes Center, 2) University of Copenhagen, 3) Jimma University, 4) University College London, and 5) Ethiopian Public Health Institute.

Background, objective and methods: Growth patterns in early life are important predictors of later risk of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity, particular in low and middle-income countries currently undergoing a rapid epidemiological and nutritional transition through adaptations to Western unhealthy lifestyles. However, these associations are yet to be fully understood, and early-life differences in fat and lean mass accretion may indicate significant metabolic changes in childhood. Using advanced body composition data from a unique birth cohort of over six hundred Ethiopian infants, this study aims to identify patterns in fat- and lean mass growth in early life that predispose changes in risk markers of T2D and CVD at five years. This is important for early identification of T2D and CVD risk groups, in order to initiate timely prevention.
Funding source:  1) Innovation Fund Denmark, 2) Danish Diabetes Academy, 3) University of Copenhagen.
Study period: January 2014 – January 2019.

State of the art fat and lean mass assessment  with th Bod Pod^TM  at JUCAN body composition clinic.

The infant anthropometry and body composition birth cohort (iABC Cohort)

Principal investigators: Gregers Stig Andersen1, Henrik Friis2, Pernille Kæstel2, Tsinuel Girma3

Co-investigators: Rasmus Wibæk Christensen1, 2 , Alemseged Abdissa3, Bitiya Admassu2,3, Muba-rek Abera2,3, Kim F Michaelsen2, Jonathan CK Wells4, Dorte Vistisen1
Collaborating institutions: 1) Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, 2) University of Copenhagen, 3) Jimma University, 4) University College London

Background, objective and methods: Growth patterns in utero, infancy and childhood are known to affect health and disease throughout life. The first 1000 days is a particularly vulnerable peri-od, but also a window of opportunity in terms of interventions that may have lifelong impact. This is particularly true in low and middle-income countries currently undergoing a rapid epide-miological and nutritional transition through adaptations to Western unhealthy lifestyles. Howe-ver, a key challenge in this context has been that growth in utero and early in life has been crudely estimated through measures of weight and length. In 2009, we formed the iABC cohort as a collaboration between Jimma University and University of Copenhagen (JUCAN) to address this issue. We invested in state of the art equipment to obtain detailed information on body composition in infants, children and even adults (the PeaPod and the BodPod). We then recrui-ted more than 600 newborns and mothers in Jimma town and surroundings and have followed their growth and body composition patterns closely ever since.

Through this work we are continuously obtaining new insights into causes and consequences of unfavourable early growth patterns in infants and children, and we have published several pa-pers in leading peer-reviewed journals on this topic.

Funding source: Danish Council for Strategic Research—Programme Commission on Food and Health; Danida through the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research (104.Dan.8-1207)