Table 3.

Association of per cent density and dense area with adult height in pooled ICMD studies

	No. of women	No. of measurements	Per cent densitya		Dense areaa,e
			Changes in square-root per cent density (SE)	P value	Changes in square-root dense area (SE)	P value
Height (categorical) (cm)
< 155	2718	3240	0		0
155–159.9	2551	3027	− 0.041 (0.037)	0.259	0.048 (0.048)	0.319
160–164.9	2683	3151	− 0.056 (0.038)	0.141	0.096 (0.050)	0.057
≥ 165	2480	2900	− 0.075 (0.042)	0.076	0.118 (0.055)	0.034
Linear associations with a 10 cm increase in adult height
All women—Model Ab
All, without BMI adjustment	10,432	12,318	0.044 (0.023)	0.054	0.069 (0.028)	0.012
All, without age at menarche adjustment	10,432	12,318	− 0.057 (0.021)	0.007	0.062 (0.028)	0.025
All, with BMI and menarche adjustment	10,432	12,318	− 0.060 (0.021)	0.005	0.059 (0.028)	0.034
By BMI strata: (kg/m2)
≤ 20.0	652	752	0.042 (0.075)	0.569	0.184 (0.073)	0.011
20.1–25.0	3882	4551	− 0.008 (0.034)	0.811	0.112 (0.041)	0.006
25.1–30.0	3328	3937	− 0.043 (0.037)	0.241	0.121 (0.050)	0.015
> 30.0	2570	3078	− 0.138 (0.040)	0.001	− 0.026 (0.060)	0.670
Subset by height measurement method
Measured	7062	8389	− 0.040 (0.026)	0.125	0.084 (0.034)	0.015
Self-reported	3370	3929	− 0.096 (0.036)	0.007	0.020 (0.047)	0.676
Pre-menopausal women—Model Bc
All	4221	5000	− 0.049 (0.032)	0.130	0.074 (0.044)	0.092
Subset by parity
Nulliparous women	478	553	− 0.201 (0.089)	0.024	− 0.012 (0.117)	0.922
Parous women	3743	4447	− 0.023 (0.034)	0.503	0.099 (0.047)	0.034
Parous women + age 1st birth adjustment	3743	4447	− 0.024 (0.034)	0.490	0.099 (0.047)	0.033
Post-menopausal women—Model Cc
All	5747	6769	− 0.067 (0.028)	0.017	0.047 (0.036)	0.201
All + age at menopause adjustment	5747	6769	− 0.070 (0.028)	0.013	0.043 (0.036)	0.239
Subset by parity
Nulliparous women	531	622	− 0.144 (0.081)	0.076	− 0.084 (0.098)	0.389
Parous women	5216	6147	− 0.041 (0.029)	0.163	0.090 (0.039)	0.019
Parous women + age at 1st birth adjustment	5216	6147	− 0.045 (0.029)	0.121	0.085 (0.038)	0.027
Parous women + age at menopause adjustment	5216	6147	− 0.043 (0.029)	0.139	0.087 (0.038)	0.023
Parous women + age at 1st birth + age at menopause adjustments	5216	6147	− 0.047 (0.029)	0.107	0.083 (0.038)	0.031
Nulliparous women—Model Dd
All	1059	1229	− 0.197 (0.060)	0.001	− 0.043 (0.075)	0.563
Parous women—Model Eb
All	9321	11,024	− 0.036 (0.022)	0.111	0.090 (0.030)	0.002
All + age at 1st birth adjustment	9321	11,024	− 0.038 (0.022)	0.090	0.088 (0.030)	0.003

BMI body mass index, ICMD International Consortium of Mammographic Density, SE standard error

^aA multi-level linear regression model was used to estimate the difference in square-root per cent density and dense area associated with each 10 cm increase in height. Models specified correlations of women (level 1) within population groups (level 2)

^bModels A (all women) and E (parous women): adjusted for age at mammogram³, menopausal status, age at mammogram* menopausal status interaction term, BMI³, use of HRT, mammogram view, calibration, reader, parity, age at menarche

^cModels B (pre-menopausal women) and C (post-menopausal women): adjusted for age at mammogram³, BMI³, use of HRT, mammogram view, calibration, reader, parity, age at menarche

^dModel D (nulliparous women): adjusted for age at mammogram³, menopausal status, age at mammogram* menopausal status interaction term, BMI³, use of HRT, mammogram view, calibration, reader, age at menarche

^eDense area models: BMI² adjusted for instead of BMI³