Rationale, design and methods for the RIGHT Track Health Study: pathways from childhood self-regulation to cardiovascular risk in adolescence

Abstract

BackgroundCardiovascular risk factors during adolescence—including obesity, elevated lipids, altered glucose metabolism, hypertension, and elevated low-grade inflammation—is cause for serious concern and potentially impacts subsequent morbidity and mortality. Despite the importance of these cardiovascular risk factors, very little is known about their developmental origins in childhood. In addition, since adolescence is a time when individuals are navigating major life changes and gaining increasing autonomy from their parents or parental figures, it is a period when control over their own health behaviors (e.g. drug use, sleep, nutrition) also increases. The primary aim of this paper is to describe the rationale, design and methods for the RIGHT Track Health Study. This study examines self-regulation as a key factor in the development of cardiovascular risk, and further explores health behaviors as an explanatory mechanism of this association. We also examine potential moderators (e.g. psychosocial adversities such as harsh parenting) of this association.Method/designRIGHT Track is a longitudinal study that investigates social and emotional development. The RIGHT Track Health Study prospectively follows participants from age 2 through young adulthood in an effort to understand how self-regulatory behavior throughout childhood alters the trajectories of various cardiovascular risk factors during late adolescence via health behaviors. Individuals from RIGHT Track were re-contacted and invited to participate in adolescent data collection (~16.5, 17.5 and 18+ years old). Individuals completed assessments of body composition, anthropometric indicators, fitness testing (via peak oxygen consumption), heart rate variability during orthostatic challenge, 7-day accelerometry for physical activity and sleep, 24-h dietary recalls, and blood analysis for biomarkers related to metabolic syndrome, inflammatory status and various hormones and cytokines. Individuals also completed extensive self-report measures on diet and eating regulation, physical activity and sedentary behaviors, sleep, substance use, medical history, medication use and a laboratory-day checklist, which chronicled previous day activities and menstrual information for female participants.DiscussionInsights emerging from this analysis can help researchers and public health policy administrators target intervention efforts in early childhood, when preventing chronic disease is most cost-effective and behavior is more malleable.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3133-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Diets Rich in Fruits and Vegetables Are Associated with Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Adolescents

“…As part of this longitudinal research study, when participants reached adolescence, they were asked to return to the laboratory for health-related measurements (weight, height, waist circumference, biomarkers) and provide dietary recalls [ 49 ]. This study examined a subsample of 163 individuals who were 16–17 years old and completed the data collection procedures.…”

Associations between eating behaviors, diet quality and body mass index among adolescents

“…The RIGHT Track participants completed physiological/anthropometric/metabolic assessment and/or surveys at multiple time points during their childhood and adolescence. A complete description of the recruitment, screening procedures and participant characteristics is presented elsewhere (Wideman et al, 2016). Data for the current analyses were collected during a laboratory visit when the participants were 16-years old.…”

“…Participants' height and weight were measured using standard procedures by trained research assistants at the 16-year laboratory visits and used to calculate BMI (BMI= kg/m²) (Onyango, De Onis, & Organization, 2008;Wideman et al, 2016). Height was measured using a stadiometer (SECA, Chino CA) to the nearest 0.1 cm.…”

“…). Give the high rates of obesity combined with increased risk of unhealthy weight control practices, future research efforts should focus on better understanding the associations between dysregulated eating, diet quality and weight outcomes among adolescents so effective strategies to optimize dietary intakes and maintain a healthy weight can be develop for this vulnerable population.Data utilized in the current research study were collected from a sample of 16 year old subjects participating in a large multidisciplinary study called the RIGHT Track and the subsequent Right Track Health Study (RTH)(Wideman et al, 2016). The RIGHT Track Study (RT) began in 1997 in Greensboro, NC and involved 447 families.…”

Effects of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on cardiometabolic risk factors and cognitive function in children: protocol for a cohort study

“…Cardiovascular risk and disease have been less investigated as a potential predictor of cognitive health in children. Although cardiovascular diseases typically do not emerge before adulthood, an earlier sign of cardiovascular diseases, cardiometabolic risk factors, appeared to be related with cognitive function and can be reversed during the early life course 37. Improved cardiometablic risk profile may be one explanation how PA and SB affects on cognition and brain health.…”