Is leg length a biomarker of childhood conditions in older Chinese women? The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
C M SchoolingG M Leung

Abstract

In developed western populations longer legs have been shown to be a biomarker of better early childhood conditions. It was hypothesised that in transitioning populations better childhood conditions may bring forward puberty and thus decrease leg length, counteracting the overall positive effect of a favourable childhood environment on leg growth. Structural equation modelling was used to assess the interrelationship of age, education, father's job, age of menarche and leg length in a cross-sectional sample of 7273 Chinese women aged at least 50 years from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. Leg length had no significant association with education or father's occupation on bivariable testing. After including age of menarche in the model, education was associated with longer legs (0.45 cm longer per 10 years of education, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.71). Education was also associated with younger age of menarche (1.21 years younger per 10 years of education, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.34), which was in turn associated with shorter legs (0.23 cm shorter per year of menarche earlier, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.27). In older Chinese women leg length is not a universal biomarker of childhood conditions, when proxied by her educational level and father's occupatio...Continue Reading

Citations

May 13, 2011·International Journal of Epidemiology·Sanjay KinraYoav Ben-Shlomo
Jul 5, 2011·International Journal of Epidemiology·Daniel J CorsiS V Subramanian
Jul 10, 2010·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Barry Bogin, Maria Inês Varela-Silva
Feb 28, 2009·Women's Health·Gita D MishraDiana Kuh
Jan 13, 2011·International Journal of Epidemiology·C Mary SchoolingGabriel M Leung
Feb 27, 2009·Epidemiology·Michelle HeysGabriel M Leunga
Sep 11, 2012·Annals of Epidemiology·Renée Boynton-Jarrett, Emily W Harville
Dec 7, 2010·Annals of Epidemiology·C Mary SchoolingGabriel M Leung
Mar 27, 2009·American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council·Sara Stinson
Apr 5, 2012·Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology·Alicia MatijasevichDebbie A Lawlor
Aug 26, 2010·American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council·C M SchoolingG M Leung
Dec 18, 2019·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Dan T A EisenbergChristopher W Kuzawa
Feb 3, 2015·American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council·Kitae Sohn

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