Journal
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
Volume 213, Issue -, Pages 20-27Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.035
Keywords
DOHaD; Developmental origins; Maternal effects; Research translation; Paternal effects; Causal inference; Prenatal; Epidemiology
Funding
- University of Bristol
- UK Medical Research Council [MC_UU_00011/5, MC_UU_00011/6]
- US NIH [R01 DK1034]
- European Union's Seventh Framework Programme [FP/2007-2013)/ERC [66945]
- National Institute of Health Research [NF-SI-0611-10196]
- MRC [MC_UU_12013/5] Funding Source: UKRI
- Medical Research Council [MC_UU_00011/5] Funding Source: researchfish
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Research on the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) has traditionally focused on how maternal exposures around the time of pregnancy might influence offspring health and risk of disease. We acknowledge that for some exposures this is likely to be correct, but argue that the focus on maternal pregnancy effects also reflects implicit and deeply-held assumptions that 1) causal early life exposures are primarily transmitted via maternal traits or exposures, 2) maternal exposures around the time of pregnancy and early infancy are particularly important, and 3) other factors, such as paternal factors and postnatal exposures in later life, have relatively little impact in comparison. These implicit assumptions about the causal primacy of maternal pregnancy effects set the agenda for DOHaD research and, through a looping effect, are reinforced rather than tested. We propose practical strategies to redress this imbalance through maintaining a critical perspective about these assumptions.
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