Differential effects of adolescent health behaviours on adult cardiometabolic health by parental and neighbourhood socioeconomic background.

Sufficient physical activity during adolescence lowered adiposity biomarkers to a greater extent among adolescents from disadvantaged neighbourhood backgrounds.

• Additional decreases of 2.2 cm (95% CI: -0.1 to 4.7) in waist circumference among adolescents from disadvantaged neighbourhoods
• Additional decrease of 1 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.2 to 1.9) in BMI among adolescents from disadvantaged neighbourhoods
• Effects were estimated via inverse-probability-weighted marginal structural models
• Neighbourhood socioeconomic background was measured during adolescence (ages 12-18 years)

Daily fruit and vegetable consumption during adolescence lowered blood pressure to a greater extent among adolescents with advantaged parental or neighbourhood socioeconomic backgrounds.

• Additional blood pressure reductions of 2.0-3.6 mmHg (95% CI: 0.3 to 6.1) among adolescents with advantaged parental or neighbourhood socioeconomic backgrounds
• The effect was observed for both parental- and neighbourhood-related socioeconomic backgrounds
• Blood pressure was measured in adulthood at ages 33-40 years
• Effects were estimated using inverse-probability-weighted marginal structural models

There was little evidence for differential effects of no smoking and no alcohol consumption on adult cardiometabolic health by socioeconomic background.

• No smoking and no alcohol consumption were included as healthy behaviours alongside physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption
• These behaviours showed little evidence of differential effects across socioeconomic groups
• Socioeconomic backgrounds examined included both parental- and neighbourhood-related measures
• Multiple cardiometabolic outcomes were examined including adiposity, cardiovascular, and metabolic biomarkers

The study used a population-based cohort of Finnish adolescents followed from adolescence into adulthood over approximately two decades.

• The Young Finns Study included n = 2984 participants
• Adolescent measurements were taken from 1980-89 when participants were aged 12-18 years
• Adult follow-up occurred in 2001-11 when participants were aged 33-40 years
• Four healthy behaviours were assessed: no smoking, no alcohol consumption, sufficient physical activity, and daily fruit and vegetable consumption
• Biomarkers included waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, plasma glucose, and insulin resistance

There was little evidence for differential effects of healthy behaviours on cardiovascular and metabolic biomarkers other than blood pressure and adiposity by socioeconomic background.

• Cardiovascular biomarkers examined included cholesterol and apolipoprotein B
• Metabolic biomarkers examined included plasma glucose and insulin resistance
• Differential effects were primarily observed for physical activity on adiposity and fruit/vegetable consumption on blood pressure
• Both parental and neighbourhood socioeconomic backgrounds were examined as effect modifiers