Grantee Research Project Results
2012 Progress Report: The Role of Endocrine Disruptors in Childhood Obesity
EPA Grant Number: R834509C001Subproject: this is subproject number 001 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R834509
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health
Center Director: Perera, Frederica P.
Title: The Role of Endocrine Disruptors in Childhood Obesity
Investigators: Perera, Frederica P. , Whyatt, Robin M. , Rundle, Andrew
Current Investigators: Rundle, Andrew , Whyatt, Robin M.
Institution: Columbia University in the City of New York
Current Institution: Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Project Period: September 24, 2009 through September 23, 2014 (Extended to September 23, 2015)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2011 through August 31,2012
RFA: Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers: Formative Centers (with NIEHS) (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
Aim 1: To test whether prenatal and early-life exposures to the endocrine disruptors polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and Bisphenol A (BPA) predict body size growth trajectories and childhood obesity at age 8-12 years. This will be accomplished by following our ongoing birth cohort to age 8-12 years, measuring height and weight at ages 5, 7, 8-12, body composition at age 7, 8-10, and metabolic syndrome components at age 8-12 years. This work takes advantage of a sophisticated geographic information systems based data on the children’s neighborhoods to control for social (e.g., poverty and sociodemographic composition) and physical factors (e.g., playgrounds, parks, fast food) likely to predict childhood obesity.
Aim 2: To determine whether differences in the methylation status of key genes involved in adipogenesis (PPARγ2, C/EBPα, C/EBPß, C/EBPδ and DLK1), appetite control (FTO). mediates the association between xenobiotic exposures and childhood obesity outcomes. Methylation of these genes will be measured in cord white blood cell DNA by pyrosequencing.
Progress Summary:
As of 9/24/12, 362 cohort children at ages 8 to 12 (African American and Dominican) had been screened for eligibility and 344 were found to be eligible. Of these 344 children, 324 were enrolled, 16 have refused enrollment and 4 were pending enrollment.
Maternal exposure to higher levels of PAH during the third trimester of pregnancy was found to be associated with higher BMI Z-score at age 5 and age 7 and with higher fat mass at age 7. There was not association observed between prenatal exposure to PAH and fat free mass at age 7. A journal article on this work appeared in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Vol 175(11):1163-72, 2012). Once the recruitment has been completed at age 8-12 years old, analyses on the effects of prenatal exposure to PAH throughout cohort followup will be completed.
As part of our work studying the effects of prenatal PAH exposures and childhood obesity, we developed and implemented inverse probability weighting (IPW) and marginal structural models (MSM) based methods to assess and adjust for potential biases occuring due to loss to followup in the cohort. These methods are being deployed across our studies of obesity, asthma and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the Center cohort. The methods were published as an online supplement to our American Journal of Epidemiology paper.
Assays of maternal and child urine samples have been completed for BPA analyses of urinary levels of BP and child bodysize to age 7 are ongoing. We have completed analyses of sociodemographic correlates of the BPA and the variation snf correlations in BPA levels between the mother and the child, and within the child across urine samples collected at different ages.
Future Activities:
The research is on schedule and we plan to continue the research as described in our grant application.
We have developed an application for the Pediatric Endocrinology Society to measure additional outcome biomarkers in the stored fasting blood samples we are collecting from the children at age 8 to 12. We proposed to measure biomarkers of metabolic and endocrine regulation (leptin and adiponectin) and biomarkers potentially indicative of excess fat accumulation in the liver (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT)), a condition known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
We have applied to the Robert Wood Johnson Healthy Eating Program for funding to conduct research on neighborhood food environments, travel time required to shop for food and the child’s diet quality. We have been collecting data on the mothers food shopping patterns, including; the locations of the stores she shops at, how often, what is purchased at the stores and the reasons the stores are used (e.g., convenience, price, freshness). Although the families live in neighborhoods of New York City designated as being underserved by healthy food outlets, ~95% of the mothers report shopping at a supermarket or a Wholesale Club Warehouse store. We proposed to study how the quality of the food environment immediately around the residence predicts shopping patterns, travel time for shopping and the child’s diet quality.
Journal Articles on this Report : 2 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other subproject views: | All 19 publications | 7 publications in selected types | All 7 journal articles |
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Other center views: | All 104 publications | 62 publications in selected types | All 60 journal articles |
Type | Citation | ||
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Hoepner LA, Whyatt RM, Just AC, Calafat AM, Perera FP, Rundle AG. Urinary concentrations of bisphenol A in an urban minority birth cohort in New York City, prenatal through age 7 years. Environmental Research 2013;122:38-44. |
R834509 (2012) R834509 (2013) R834509 (2014) R834509 (Final) R834509C001 (2012) R834509C001 (Final) R834509C002 (Final) |
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Rundle A, Hoepner L, Hassoun A, Oberfield S, Freyer G, Holmes D, Reyes M, Quinn J, Camann D, Perera F, Whyatt R. Association of childhood obesity with maternal exposure to ambient air polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during pregnancy. American Journal of Epidemiology 2012;175(11):1163-1172. |
R834509 (2012) R834509 (2013) R834509 (2014) R834509 (Final) R834509C001 (2012) R834509C001 (Final) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Bisphenol A, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, obesity, neurodevelopment, children , RFA, Scientific Discipline, Health, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, POLLUTANTS/TOXICS, Chemicals, Biochemistry, Children's Health, Environmental Policy, Biology, Risk Assessment, health effects, air toxics, developmental neurotoxicity, air pollution, childhood obesity, endocrine disruptors, assessment of exposure, children's vulnerablity, children's environmental health, growth & developmentRelevant Websites:
Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R834509 The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R834509C001 The Role of Endocrine Disruptors in Childhood Obesity
R834509C002 The Role of Endocrine Disruptors in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
R834509C003 The Mechanisms of Endocrine Disruptors in Laboratory Mice
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
7 journal articles for this subproject
Main Center: R834509
104 publications for this center
60 journal articles for this center