IMPE2023 Poster Presentations GH and IGFs (14 abstracts)
Association of IGF with Growth and Cognitive Development Among Young Children in Rural Tanzania: A Secondary Analysis of the Early Life Interventions in Childhood Growth and Development In Tanzania (ELICIT) Study
Mark DeBoer 1 , Sarah Elwood 1 , James Platts-Mills 1 , Joann McDermid 1 , Rebecca Scharf 1 , Elizabeth Rogawski McQuade 2 , Samwel Jatosh 3 , Eric Houpt 1 & Esto Mduma 3
1University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA. 2Emory University, Atlanta, USA. 3Haydom Lutheran Hospital, Haydom, Tanzania
Objective: Children in developing areas experience nutritional and infection challenges delaying growth and cognitive development. As a biomarker, IGF-1 may provide insight into mechanisms of poor growth and development and be a means of identifying children at risk. Our goal was to assess for associations between serum levels of IGF-1 and growth and cognitive outcomes among a birth cohort of children in a resource-poor area in rural Tanzania.
Methods: We assessed data from 1036 children participating in the Early Life Interventions for Childhood Growth and Development in Tanzania (ELICIT) study. At age 12- and 18-months participants had serum measurements of IGF-1 using a multiplex assay, with results log-transformed and converted to cohort-specific z-scores. Every 3-months, starting at study entry (age <2 weeks) through 18-months, participants had anthropometry measured and converted to z-scores for length-for-age (LAZ) and weight-for-age (WAZ). At 18-months the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT) was administered assessing cognitive development. We performed linear regression of IGF-1 (predictor) on anthropometry and MDAT scores (dependent variables), adjusted for sex, socioeconomic status maternal height and baseline values.
Results: Mean IGF-1 levels were low at 12-months (16.9 ng/mL) and 18-months (24.6 ng/mL), with correlation between time points (r^2=0.101, P<0.0001). IGF-1 concentrations at both 12- and 18-months were associated with temporal growth and attained growth by 18-months for both WAZ and LAZ (Table). IGF-1 at 12-months but not 18-months was positively associated with MDAT scores of cognitive development at 18-months (Table). These associations with MDAT were driven by the language and fine motor sub-scores, with no associations with gross motor or social sub-scores.
| 12-month Estimate±stdev | p-value | 18-month Estimate±stdev | p-value | |
| LAZ at 18-months | 0.212±0.030 | <0.0001 | 0.141±0.028 | <0.0001 |
| dLAZ prior 3-months | 0.068±0.029 | 0.018 | 0.057±0.021 | 0.008 |
| dLAZ subsequent 3-months | 0.070±0.027 | 0.010 | NA | |
| WAZ at 18-months | 0.129±0.031 | <0.0001 | 0.191±0.028 | <0.0001 |
| dWAZ prior 3-months | 0.075±0.022 | <0.001 | 0.051±0.023 | 0.026 |
| dWAZ next 3-months | 0.060±0.024 | 0.014 | NA | |
| MDAT at 18-months | 0.127±0.026 | <0.0001 | 0.032±0.024 | 0.182 |
| Language sub-score | 0.469±0.083 | <0.0001 | 0.045±0.077 | 0.556 |
| Fine motor sub-score | 0.360±0.088 | <0.0001 | 0.046±0.079 | 0.560 |
| Gross motor sub-score | 0.074±0.051 | 0.153 | 0.026±0.047 | 0.578 |
| Social sub-score | -0.008±0.087 | 0.923 | 0.078±0.080 | 0.330 |
Conclusions: IGF-1 concentrations were consistently linked to growth and cognitive outcomes, potentially providing support for its relationships between nutrition and health in early child development. Further research is needed to assess roles of IGF-1 in cognitive development.
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