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Table 3 Associations between continuous individual risk factors at birth and continuous cognitive outcomes at age 72–74 years (N=346)

From: The impact of early life factors on cognitive function in old age: The Hordaland Health Study (HUSK)

Exposures

Level of adjustment

Composite scorea

Separate cognitive testsb

   

MMS

Digit symbol

KOLT

COWAT

TMA

Block design

Birth weight (kg)

        
 

Unadjusted

0.01 (−0.18,0.20)

−0.03 (−0.20,0.14)

−0.12 (−0.99,0.75)

−0.24 (−1.80,1.31)

0.85 (−0.22,1.92)

2.44 (−3.32,8.21)

−0.23 (−0.64,0.19)

 

+ age/gender

0.02 (−0.17,0.21)

−0.03 (−0.20,0.14)

−0.14 (−1.02,0.73)

0.24 (−1.29,1.78)

0.91 (−0.18,1.99)

2.01 (−3.81,7.84)

−0.26 (−0.68,0.16)

Birth length (cm)

        
 

Unadjusted

0.02 (−0.03,0.07)

0.01 (−0.03,0.05)

0.03 (−0.19,0.25)

0.01 (−0.38,0.41)

0.20 (−0.07,0.47)

1.00 (−0.46,2.46)

−0.04 (−0.14,0.07)

 

+ age/gender

0.03 (−0.02,0.07)

0.01 (−0.03,0.05)

0.03 (−0.20,0.25)

0.22 (−0.17,0.61)

0.23 (−0.04,0.51)

0.94 (−0.56,2.43)

−0.04 (−0.15,0.06)

Head circumferencec (cm)

        
 

Unadjusted

0.05 (−0.01,0.11)

0.04 (−0.01,0.09)

−0.06 (−0.33,0.22)

−0.05 (−0.54,0.43)

0.48 ** (0.15,0.82)

1.95 * (0.15,3.76)

0.05 (−0.08,0.18)

 

+ age/gender

0.06 (−0.00,0.12)

0.04 (−0.01,0.09)

−0.07 (−0.35,0.21)

0.17 (−0.31,0.65)

0.52 ** (0.18,0.86)

1.81 (−0.04,3.66)

0.04 (−0.09,0.18)

Ponderal index (weight/height3)

        
 

Unadjusted

−0.11 (−0.54,0.31)

−0.17 (−0.55,0.22)

−0.62 (−2.59,1.34)

−0.64 (−4.17,2.89)

1.15 (−1.28,3.57)

−2.87 (−15.91,10.17)

−0.24 (−1.17,0.70)

 

+ age/gender

−0.16 (−0.59,0.27)

−0.19 (−0.58,0.19)

−0.74 (−2.73,1.24)

−1.38 (−4.83,2.07)

1.08 (−1.37,3.53)

−3.34 (−16.49,9.82)

−0.27 (−1.21,0.68)

Mother’s pelvic sized, e (cm)

        
 

Unadjusted

0.06 (−0.02,0.13)

0.08 * (0.01,0.15)

0.16 (−0.20,0.53)

0.18 (−0.48,0.83)

0.38 (−0.06,0.82)

1.00 (−1.41,3.42)

−0.12 (−0.29,0.06)

 

+ age/gender

0.05 (−0.03,0.13)

0.08 * (0.00,0.15)

0.14 (−0.23,0.51)

0.22 (−0.43,0.86)

0.39 (−0.06,0.83)

0.75 (−1.70,3.21)

−0.14 (−0.32,0.03)

Mother’s age (years)

        
 

Unadjusted

0.01 (−0.01,0.02)

0.01 (−0.00,0.03)

0.02 (−0.06,0.10)

0.04 (−0.10,0.18)

−0.01 (−0.11,0.09)

−0.19 (−0.71,0.34)

0.00 (−0.04,0.04)

 

+ age/gender

0.00 (−0.01,0.02)

0.01 (−0.00,0.03)

0.02 (−0.06,0.10)

0.02 (−0.12,0.16)

−0.01 (−0.11,0.09)

−0.16 (−0.69,0.36)

0.00 (−0.04,0.04)

Parity (number of births)

        
 

Unadjusted

−0.02 (−0.07,0.03)

0.03 (−0.02,0.07)

−0.14 (−0.37,0.10)

0.12 (−0.31,0.55)

−0.10 (−0.39,0.19)

−1.01 (−2.59,0.57)

−0.11 (−0.22,0.01)

 

+ age/gender

−0.02 (−0.07,0.03)

0.02 (−0.02,0.07)

−0.14 (−0.38,0.10)

0.05 (−0.37,0.47)

−0.11 (−0.40,0.19)

−0.98 (−2.57,0.60)

−0.11 (−0.22,0.01)

  1. Linear regression models, unstandardized coefficients.
  2. 95% confidence intervals in parentheses.
  3. Significant associations in bold.
  4. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
  5. aZ-score of the sum of all cognitive tests (mean: 0, standard deviation: 1).
  6. bTest-specific raw scores for each cognitive tests (see Methods section for further details). MMS: range (5, 12); Digit Symbol: range (2, 22); KOLT: range (6, 60); COWAT: range (3, 34); TMA: range (-154,-14; reversed); Block Design: range (2, 16).
  7. cN=344.
  8. dN=324.
  9. eMean of the interspinous distance, the intercristal distance and the external conjugate in centimeters.