How early childhood and teen experiences affect heart and metabolic health

Understanding the Impact of Early Life Factors on Cardiometabolic Risk throughout the Life Course in a Large Population-based Cohort of Adolescents and Young Adults

NIH-funded research Kaiser Foundation Research Institute · NIH-11266160

This project looks at how things from childhood and adolescence change the chances of high blood pressure, prediabetes/type 2 diabetes, unhealthy cholesterol, and fatty liver in teens and young adults.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionKaiser Foundation Research Institute NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Oakland, UNITED STATES)
Project IDNIH-11266160 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If I joined, researchers would use a large population-based group of adolescents and young adults and link their early-life records, addresses, and growth history to current health measures. They will collect objective tests beyond BMI like blood pressure, blood tests for glucose and lipids, and measures related to fatty liver and metabolic function. The team will follow people over time to see who develops cardiometabolic problems and which early-life factors predict higher risk. Findings will be used to point to earlier detection and prevention opportunities for young people.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents and young adults (teens through early adulthood) whose childhood or birth records and current health data can be linked, especially those with early-life risk factors or family histories of cardiometabolic disease.

Not a fit: People with long-standing, advanced cardiometabolic disease or those outside the adolescent/young adult age range are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this observational study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the project could help identify young people at higher risk earlier so they can get targeted prevention to avoid heart disease, diabetes, and related complications later.

How similar studies have performed: Prior AYA research has been limited by small or cross-sectional samples, so this large population-based longitudinal approach is relatively novel and expected to add new insights rather than repeat well-established findings.

Where this research is happening

Oakland, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.