National Growth and Health Study (NGHS)

April 13, 2016 updated by: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
To determine if the Black-white differences in the development of obesity in pubescent females were due to differences in psychosocial, socioeconomic and other environmental factors. Also, to determine whether differences in the development of obesity led to Black-white differences in other coronary heart disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and serum lipids.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND:

Although not all scientists agree that obesity is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease, it may be a strong univariate predictor of coronary heart disease, and impacts on coronary heart disease through at least some of its relationships with other risk factors: positive association with blood pressure, inverse association with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), positive association with triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDLC), and a positive association with hyperglycemia and diabetes. A number of these have been shown to be major coronary heart disease risk factors. Prevention of obesity, or weight reduction towards desirable body weight may reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease and some of its risk factors. There is evidence to suggest that once obesity begins and/or advances in childhood, it will track into adulthood, with a reasonably high level of certainty. Obesity becomes progressively more difficult to treat with maturation to adulthood. Thus, better understanding of the pathophysiology of obesity in late childhood and early adolescence should, in the long-run, provide the basis for effective prevention or intervention programs in order to have a long-range impact upon the consequence of obesity. The age group 9 and 10 at entry has been selected to assure that many of the individuals are enrolled prior to puberty, and followed through this transition period when obesity becomes more apparent among Black adolescent females than among white.

Support for this research grew out of recommendations made at the Working Conference on Coronary Heart Disease in Black Populations held in September 1983 and sponsored by the NHLBI. The group recommended this research to identify the physiological and/or behavioral factors which contribute to obesity in Black females. In addition, the 1981 Report of the Working Group on Arteriosclerosis of the NHLBI stated that research is needed to characterize the behaviors that create and maintain caloric imbalance. The initiative was approved by the September 1984 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council and the Request for Proposals was released in November 1984.

The NGHS I was initiated in 1985 as a contract-supported program with three field centers and a coordinating center. Annual exams were conducted at baseline and through the years of follow-up. The study was renewed by means of the cooperative agreement mechanism in 1992 as the NGHS II to permit two additional years of follow-up exams. The study was again renewed in 1994 as NGHS III to continue annual examinations.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

In this longitudinal study, there were a baseline examination and annual examinations. Data collected included: physical examination; anthropometric measurements; dietary information including food pattern and nutrient intake; physical activity; lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein profiles; family socioeconomic status; and psychosocial information. The study was renewed twice to continue the longitudinal investigation until the subjects reached the age of 19 to 20. Following the girls until that age allowed the documentation of the transition in risk factors when Black girls no longer have a cardiovascular risk advantage and to study the factors surrounding the transition. The longer follow-up also allowed for studies on the influence of smoking on body weight and the relationship of adolescent pregnancy to subsequent adiposity development, body fat patterning, blood pressure, and blood lipids.

Study Type

Observational

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

9 years to 19 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

No eligibility criteria

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Investigators

  • Stephen Daniels, Children's Hospital & Medical Center
  • George Schreiber, Westat, Inc.
  • Bruce Barton, Maryland Medical Research Institute
  • Paul Canner, Maryland Medical Research Institute
  • John Morrison, University of Cincinnati
  • Z.I. Sabry, University of California at Berkeley

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 1985

Study Completion

March 1, 2000

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 25, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 25, 2000

First Posted (Estimate)

May 26, 2000

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 14, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 13, 2016

Last Verified

January 1, 2006

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1002

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Study Data/Documents

  1. Individual Participant Data Set
    Information identifier: NGHS
    Information comments: NHLBI provides controlled access to IPD through BioLINCC. Access requires registration, evidence of local IRB approval or certification of exemption from IRB review, and completion of a data use agreement.
  2. Study Protocol
  3. Study Forms

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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