Study selection and data extraction
Studies were considered eligible if they compared CVD risk factors
between the following comparison groups: (1) women who gave birth to SGA
infants compared to women who gave birth to AGA infants, (2) women who
gave birth to LBW infants (birthweight ≤2500g) compared to women who
gave birth to normal birthweight (birthweight >2500g)
infants, (3) women who gave birth to infants diagnosed with IUGR with
women who gave birth to non-IUGR infants. Studies that reported an
association between maternal CVD mortality/CVD occurrence and offspring
size at birth were also included. SGA was defined as birthweight below
the 10th population or customised birthweight centile;
LBW was defined as birthweight below 2500g; and IUGR was defined as true
documented intrauterine growth restriction or an accepted surrogate
diagnosis of IUGR, i.e. birthweight <5thpopulation or customised birthweight centile and abnormal umbilical
artery Doppler results. Definitions of SGA/LBW and IUGR used in the
included studies are detailed in table 1. The outcomes assessed were
systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass
index (BMI), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol
(LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), triglycerides,
fasting blood glucose (BG), fasting insulin, and CVD mortality. Data
from studies classifying infants as SGA, LBW and IUGR were analysed as
separate groups. Studies that did not have the above definitions, those
that did not define the comparison groups and those that compared women
who gave birth to small babies with another risk group were excluded.
All selected studies were published in peer-reviewed journals,
undertaken in humans, and published in English.