194 - Associations of Mother and Child Hair Cortisol and Hair Oxytocin Levels with Height, Weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in Preschool Children

Publication Number: 194.3793

Anjali Gupta, Stanford University School of Medicine, Cary, NC, United States; Cynthia R. Rovnaghi, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States; Kanwaljeet J. S.. Anand, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis dysregulation, negatively impacting child growth and development.

Objective: We evaluated associations of hair cortisol (HCC) and hair oxytocin concentration (HOC), as objective biomarkers of stressful vs. supportive experiences, on height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) among preschool children.

Design/Methods: The Hair Biomarkers Study (HBS-I) evaluated healthy preschool children using parent-reported surveys, anthropometric measures, and painlessly obtained scalp hair to measure HCC (ng/mg) and HOC (ng/mg) via ELISA assays. Raw data were log-transformed for use in analyses. Height, weight, and BMI percentiles were based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth curves. Linear and logistic regressions examined the associations of child and maternal hair biomarkers with anthropometric percentiles and BMI categories, adjusting for maternal SES, race/ethnicity, marital status, and child age.

Results: The median age was 39.1 months (IQR 23.5-53.0), 56.3% were male, 94.8% mothers were married or living with a partner (N=1189). Higher child Ln-HCC was associated with lower height percentile (-0.025; Cl: -0.038, -0.012). Higher child Ln-HCC was associated with increased BMI percentile (0.027; Cl: 0.013, 0.040), while higher child Ln-HOC was associated with decreased BMI percentile (-0.016; Cl: -0.028, -0.005). Similar significant associations were observed between maternal biomarkers and child growth. In models mutually adjusted for mother and child hair biomarkers, maternal Ln-HCC was associated with 3.6 percentile increase in BMI (0.036; Cl: 0.003, 0.069), and maternal Ln-HOC was associated with 3.4 percentile decrease in BMI (-0.034; Cl: -0.052, -0.016). Similar patterns were observed in logistic regression models by BMI category. In models assessing associations between parent surveys and child anthropometrics, maternal ACEs score of 2-3 vs. 0-1 was associated with 5.7 percentile increase in child weight (0.057; Cl: 0.003, 0.112) and 7.6 percentile increase in child BMI (0.076; Cl: 0.017, 0.135). No significant associations of child growth were observed with the scores for maternal self-esteem, parenting stress scale, or child ACEs.

Conclusion(s): Stressful experiences in mothers and children (high HCC) were associated with increased child BMI, while supportive experiences (high HOC) were associated with decreased BMI percentiles. Hair biomarkers may reflect the effects of nurturing vs. adverse experiences on growth in early childhood.