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Influence of maternal and paternal IQ on offspring health and health behaviours: Evidence for some trans-generational associations using the 1958 British birth cohort study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2012

E. Whitley ,
C.R. Gale ,
I.J. Deary ,
M. Kivimaki ,
A. Singh-Manoux  and
G.D. Batty
E. Whitley
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19, Torrington Place, LondonWC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
C.R. Gale
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
I.J. Deary
Affiliation:
Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
M. Kivimaki
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19, Torrington Place, LondonWC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
A. Singh-Manoux
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19, Torrington Place, LondonWC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
G.D. Batty*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19, Torrington Place, LondonWC1E 6BT, United Kingdom Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
*
⁎Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 0 20 7679 1680; fax: +44 0 20 7813 0242. E-mail address: David.Batty@ucl.ac.uk (G.D. Batty).
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Abstract

Purpose

Individuals scoring poorly on tests of intelligence (IQ) have been reported as having increased risk of morbidity, premature mortality, and risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, poor diet, alcohol and cigarette consumption. Very little is known about the impact of parental IQ on the health and health behaviours of their offspring.

Methods

We explored associations of maternal and paternal IQ scores with offspring television viewing, injuries, hospitalisations, long standing illness, height and BMI at ages 4 to 18 using data from the National Child Development Study (1958 birth cohort).

Results

Data were available for 1446 mother-offspring and 822 father-offspring pairs. After adjusting for potential confounding/mediating factors, the children of higher IQ parents were less likely to watch TV (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for watching 3+ vs. less than 3 hours per week associated with a standard deviation increase in maternal or paternal IQ: 0.75 (0.64, 0.88) or 0.78 (0.64, 0.95) respectively) and less likely to have one or more injuries requiring hospitalisation (0.77 (0.66, 0.90) or 0.72 (0.56, 0.91) respectively for maternal or paternal IQ).

Conclusions

Children whose parents have low IQ scores may have poorer selected health and health behaviours. Health education might usefully be targeted at these families.

Keywords

IntelligenceLife courseBirth cohortTrans-generational
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 28 , Issue 4 , May 2013 , pp. 219 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2012

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