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Background: Prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) are determinants of maternal and child health. However, many studies of these factors rely on error-prone self-reported measures. Methods: Using data from Life-course Experiences And Pregnancy (LEAP), a US-based cohort, we assessed the validity of prepregnancy BMI and GWG recalled on average 8 years postpartum against medical record data treated as alloyed gold standard (“true”) values. We calculated probabilities of being classified into a self-reported prepregnancy BMI or GWG category conditional on one’s true category (analogous to sensitivities and specificities) and probabilities of truly being in each prepregnancy BMI or GWG category conditional on one’s self-reported category (analogous to positive and negative predictive values). Results: There was a tendency toward under-reporting prepregnancy BMI. Self-report misclassified 32% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 19%, 48%) of those in LEAP with truly overweight and 13% (5%, 27%) with obesity into a lower BMI category. Self-report correctly predicted the truth for 72% (55%, 84%) with self-reported overweight to 100% (90%, 100%) with self-reported obesity. For GWG, both under- and over-reporting were common; self-report misclassified 32% (15%, 55%) with truly low GWG as having moderate GWG and 50% (28%, 72%) with truly high GWG as moderate or low GWG. Self-report correctly predicted the truth for 45% (25%, 67%) with self-reported high GWG to 85% (76%, 91%) with selfreported moderate GWG. Misclassification of BMI and GWG varied across maternal characteristics. Conclusion: Findings can be used in quantitative bias analyses to estimate bias-adjusted associations with prepregnancy BMI and GWG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionEpidemiological studies generally have not found plasma total fibrinogen to be a risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE), but several have reported associations between variants in the fibrinogen gamma gene (FGG) and VTE. A case-control study in whites suggested plasma γ' fibrinogen concentration may be associated inversely with VTE, but this was not replicated in African Americans.ObjectiveTo examine the prospective association between γ' fibrinogen concentrations and occurrence of VTE.MethodsWe used the Longitudinal Investigation of Thromboembolism Etiology (LITE), involving two pooled population-based cohorts in the United States including 16,234 participants. The cohorts comprised white and African American men and women, aged 50years and older at study onset in the early 1990s. We identified VTEs during follow-up and documented they met standardized diagnostic criteria.ResultsDuring two decades of follow-up, neither γ' fibrinogen nor total fibrinogen nor their ratio was associated with VTE overall (n=521 VTEs), in subgroups defined by race, or in other subgroups. In both race groups, the minor allele of FGG rs2066865 was associated with lower γ' fibrinogen concentrations, but this allele was not associated with VTE.ConclusionsA lower plasma concentration of γ' fibrinogen in healthy adults does not appear to increase VTE risk.

Introduction: This study utilizes triadic data to examine the association between mother-father-adolescent concordance (agreement) and discordance (disagreement) on home environment factors (i.e., parental encouragement of dieting, family functioning) and adolescent unhealthy weight control behaviors and binge eating. Method: A subsample of adolescent-mother-father triads (n = 833; adolescents ages 10-22) from two coordinated population-based studies (EAT 2010 and F-EAT) were used. Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the relative risks of each eating disordered behavior. Results: Triads were more concordant (range 9-42%) than discordant (range 4-24%). Triadic agreement that parents did not encourage dieting was associated with a lower risk of adolescent eating disordered behaviors in some triadic combinations. Additionally, triadic concordance on high family functioning was also associated with a lower risk of adolescent eating disordered behaviors among some triadic combinations. Discussion: Results suggest that triadic concordance on healthy home environment factors is associated with fewer adolescent disordered eating behaviors in some triads. Family based interventions may want to consider focusing on strategies to help move mother-father-adolescent triads closer on seeing the home environment more similarly. Future research is needed on triadic concordance/discordance and disordered eating behaviors to confirm study results and to inform the development of family based interventions. Keywords: concordance/discordance, unhealthy weight control behaviors, binge eating, encouragement of dieting, family functioning, Adolescent disordered eating behaviors, including unhealthy weight control behaviors (e.g., fasting, skipping meals, purging) and binge eating, are concerning, due to their high prevalence and damaging consequences (Neumark-Sztainer, Croll, et [...]