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Background Childhood growth affects long-term health and could contribute to health inequalities that persist throughout life. Methods We compared growth data of 4-year-old to 6-year-old children born 1997–2002 in UK (n=15 168), Sweden (n=6749) and rural China (n=10 327). SD scores (SDS) were calculated against the WHO Growth Standard. Obesity and overweight were defined by the International Obesity Taskforce cut-offs, and stunting, underweight and thinness by height, weight or body mass index (BMI)<−2 SDS. Associations with maternal education were standardised by calculating the Slope Index of Inequality (SII). Results Mean SDS height, weight and BMI in the UK (−0.01, 0.42, 0.62, respectively) and Sweden (0.45, 0.59, 0.45) were higher than in China (−0.98, −0.82, −0.29). Higher maternal education was consistently associated with taller offspring height SDS (SII: UK 0.25; Sweden 0.17; China 1.06). Underweight and stunting were less common in the UK (prevalence: 0.6% and 2.2%, respectively) and Sweden (0.3% and 0.6%) than in China (9.5% and 16.4%), where these outcomes were inversely associated with maternal education (SII: −25.8% and −12.7%). Obesity prevalence in the UK, Sweden and China was 4.8%, 3.7% and 0.4%, respectively. Maternal education was inversely associated with offspring obesity in the UK (SII: −3.3%) and Sweden (−2.8%), but not in China (+0.3%). Conclusions Higher maternal education was associated with more favourable growth in young children: lower obesity and overweight in the UK and Sweden, and lower stunting and underweight in rural China. Public health strategies to optimise growth in early childhood need to acknowledge socioeconomic factors, but possibly with a different emphasis in different settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/hypothesis: Multiple islet autoimmunity increases risk of diabetes, but not all individuals positive for two or more islet autoantibodies progress to disease within a decade. Major islet autoantibodies recognise insulin (IAA), GAD (GADA), islet antigen-2 (IA-2A) and zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8A). Here we describe the baseline characteristics of a unique cohort of 'slow progressors' (n = 132) who were positive for multiple islet autoantibodies (IAA, GADA, IA-2A or ZnT8A) but did not progress to diabetes within 10 years., Methods: Individuals were identified from five studies (BABYDIAB, Germany; Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young [DAISY], USA; All Babies in Southeast Sweden [ABIS], Sweden; Bart's Oxford Family Study [BOX], UK and the Pittsburgh Family Study, USA). Multiple islet autoantibody characteristics were determined using harmonised assays where possible. HLA class II risk was compared between slow progressors and rapid progressors (n = 348 diagnosed <5 years old from BOX) using the χ 2 test., Results: In the first available samples with detectable multiple antibodies, the most frequent autoantibodies were GADA (92%), followed by ZnT8A (62%), IAA (59%) and IA-2A (41%). High risk HLA class II genotypes were less frequent in slow (28%) than rapid progressors (42%, p = 0.011), but only two slow progressors carried the protective HLA DQ6 allele., Conclusion: No distinguishing characteristics of slow progressors at first detection of multiple antibodies have yet been identified. Continued investigation of these individuals may provide insights into slow progression that will inform future efforts to slow or prevent progression to clinical diabetes.