Table 1.

 Characteristics of the families* in the Boyd Orr survey of diet and health in pre-second world war Britain (1937 to 1939)

Per capita family food expenditure (new pence/week)	27.7 (21.7 to 37.8)
Townsend score†	−1.6 (−2.8 to 0.9)
Father’s social class
I	19 (1.5%)
II	89 (7.2%)
III	242 (19.6%)
IV	284 (23.0%)
V	176 (14.3%)
Unemployed	323 (26.2%)
Unclassifiable	101 (8.2%)
District of residence as a child
Aberdeen	24 (1.9%)
Barthol Chapel	31 (2.5%)
Barrow	93 (7.5%)
Bethnall Green	264 (21.4%)
Coal Town of Wemyss	40 (3.2%)
Dundee	91 (7.4%)
Edinburgh	49 (4.0%)
Fulham	82 (6.7%)
Hopeman	24 (1.9%)
Kintore	6 (0.5%)
Liverpool	99 (8.0%)
Methlick	34 (2.8%)
Tarves	100 (8.1%)
Wisbech	145 (11.8%)
West Wemyss	55 (4.5%)
Yorkshire	97 (7.9%)
Period of birth
Before 1926	231 (18.7%)
1926–1930	347 (28.1%)
1931–1935	391 (31.7%)
After 1935	265 (21.5%)
Season when studied as a child
Spring	470 (38.1%)
Summer	343 (27.8%)
Autumn	209 (16.9%)
Winter	212 (17.2%)

Data are median (interquartile range) or number (%).

*As the individual level data is the same for each family member the data were analysed for the 1234 families that were represented in the main analysis; †Townsend deprivation score based on 1991 census data, calculated as the sum of standardised scores for levels of car ownership, house ownership, overcrowding, and unemployment in the Family Health Service Authority of residence (negative values indicate less deprivation).