Table 3.

Summary of a few studies published since 2000 employing measures of leg length in relation to early life living conditions and health.

Measure of “leg length”	Sample sizes	Sample	Results	Source
IH	Total: 2,209 M: 1,062 F: 1,147	2–14 years Extracted from The Boyd Orr Survey. Children from 1343 working class families in England and Scotland, measured between 1937 and 1939	M&F: positive association with length of breastfeeding, decreasing numbers of children in the household and increasing household income. Overall, the individual components of stature mostly associated with childhood environment was leg length (measured as IH) and foot length (not in the scope of this entry).	[100]
	Total: 916 M: 376 F: 540	65+ years inhabitants of Kwangju, South Korea, assessed in 2003.	Shorter limb length is associated with markers of lower early-life socioeconomic status and is associated with dementia later in life, especially in women.	[101]
SLL	Total: 2,338 M: 1,040 F: 1,298	30–59 years (United Kingdom)	M&F: inverse association with systolic BP, diastolic BP, total cholesterol and fibrinogen. Direct association with FEV, FVC, BW, and BMI	[102]
	Total: 10,308 M: 6,895 F: 3,413	35–55 years (London)	M&F: Strong inverse association with pulse pressure and systolic BP. Strong positive association with lower total/HDL cholesterol ratio, triglycerides, and 2hr glucose M: Strong inverse association with total cholesterol. F: Strong inverse association with diastolic BP.	[103]
	Total: 3,262	Longitudinal study, births from 3–9 March 1946. 21 assessment occasions between birth and 53 years). MRC National Survey of Health & Development (United Kingdom)	M&F: Positive association with mother’s & father’s height, BW. SLL greater among individuals from non-manual social class and among individuals who were breastfed	[104]
	Total: 5,900	The 1958 British Birth Cohort. Participants assessed at birth and at ages 7, 11, 16, 23, 32, 42, and 45	Adult SLL associated with parental height, birth weight. Taller prepubertal stature is associated with higher SLL. Maternal smoking during pregnancy resulted in lower adult SLL. Overall, adult SLL is related to a greater extent than trunk length to early life factors and prepubertal height	[105]
KH	Total: 50 M: 27 F: 23	Infants grouped by gestation time at birth: <28 weeks, 28–31 weeks, 32–36 weeks, >36 weeks. Births occurred in 2004–2005, in the neonatal intensive care, Christchurch, New Zealand.	Changes in KH (using a kneemometer) correlate very well with changes in weight. If gain in weight is achieved, normal linear growth may be assumed. Because of this, kneemometry is not a useful addition to routine measurements of growth in the neonatal unit	[106]
SHR	Total: 2,985 M: 1,465 F: 1,520	2–17 years Mexican-Americans (NHANES III, USA)	M&F: Individuals with relatively shorter legs in proportion to total stature are poorer than longer “legged” individuals (poverty assessed by Poverty Income Ratio)	[107]
	Total: 1,472 M: 747 F: 707	6–13 years, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico Urban in 1972: Total:409, M:218, F:173 Rural in 1978: Total:363, M:179, F:184 Urban in 2000: Total:339, M:173, F:166 Rural in 2000: Total:361, M:177, F:184	Positive time trend in leg length from 1972 to 2000 both in rural and urban settings	[108]
	Total: 2003 M: 2003 F: 0	7–16 years. Two cross-sectional surveys among school aged boys from Kolkata, India. 1982–1983 (n = 816) 1999–2002 (n = 1187)	Positive time trend in relative leg length. Boys measured in 1999–2002 had relatively longer legs in proportion to total stature than their counterparts in 1983–1983.	[109]
	Total: 1995 M:977 F: 1018	5–12 years. Maya migrants to the USA in 1992 (n = 211), Maya migrants to the USA in 2000 (n = 431) and Maya in Guatemala in 1998 (n = 1353)	Leg length is a sensitive indicator of the quality of the environment. Maya children in the USA show relatively longer legs in proportion to stature than their counterparts in Guatemala. By 2000, Maya migrants to the USA were 11.54 cm taller and 6.83 cm longer-legged than Maya children in Guatemala.	[56]
RSLL	Total: 273	Intergenerational sample Parents’ generation: Total:165, M:80, F:85 Offspring generation: Total:108, M:49, F:59 From Auckland and Taipei	Is an effective marker of intergenerational changes	[110]
KHR	Total: 273	Intergenerational sample Parents’ generation: Total:165, M:80, F:85 Offspring generation: Total:108, M:49, F:59 From Auckland and Taipei	Is an effective marker of intergenerational changes. Lower leg growth, as represented by KHR is similar to changes in overall leg length in sensitivity to environmental change.	[110]