Early Tracking of Childhood Health Determinants (ETCHED) Study

Study Description: The current project will establish a longitudinal cohort of mother/infant/child dyads among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Hispanic ethnic groups, to study the role of a combination of biological and environmental factors on infant/childhood obesity and cardio metabolic risk. Objectives: Primary Objective: Primary Objective: To study the associations of maternal risk factors, including pre-pregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain, and glycemia during pregnancy with offspring birth weight, length, and age/sex adjusted Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile and z-score up to 24-months of age. Secondary Objectives: 1. To study the associations of maternal risk factors, including pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and glycemia with weight, adiposity, and physical growth patterns during childhood and adolescence (2 to 18 years of age). 2. To study the role of maternal clinical, genetic, biochemical, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors during pregnancy in mediating the associations between maternal risk factors and birth weight of the offspring, and weight, adiposity, metabolic profile, and neurodevelopment during infancy, childhood and adolescence. 3. To examine the role of family, socioeconomic, and environmental factors influencing child growth patterns, body composition and neurodevelopment in infancy and childhood. 4. To assess the frequency of hepatic steatosis in children and its association with BMI and biochemical changes 5. To examine the relationship between maternal risk factors, early childhood exposures and changes in gut microbiome during, infancy, childhood and adolescence. 6. To study the associations of maternal risk factors, including pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and glycemia and placental function, methylome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome with weight, adiposity, and physical growth patterns during childhood and adolescence (2 to 18 years of age). Endpoints: Primary Endpoint: Birth weight, length, and age/sex adjusted BMI percentile and z-score up to 24-months of age (time points: 6-12 weeks, 4, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months). Secondary Endpoints: BMI percentile and z-scores 2 years to 18 years, biochemical measures, stool microbiome, neurocognitive development.