Intergenerational gains in relative knee height as compared to gains in relative leg length within Taiwanese families

Abstract

Evidence indicates that variation in relative leg length (RLL) is a sensitive indicator of early childhood circumstances, but research presents conflicting evidence of how lower leg growth contributes to variability. This study investigates the extent of intergenerational changes in subischial leg length and knee height relative to stature among father-son, mother-daughter, and midparent-offspring pairs. These changes and differences in the extent of mean change in the two indices within like-sex parent-offspring pairs were assessed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results indicate that within all categories, mean generational differences in both indices were substantial [Delta RLL z: 0.64-0.73; Delta relative knee height (RKH) z: 0.46-0.64] and statistically significant (P < or = 0.010). Mean increases in RLL and RKH across parent-offspring categories were consistently greater in Taipei than Auckland, though only the midparent-offspring generation by location contrast for RLL was statistically significant (P = 0.037). Father-son and mother-daughter average differences were virtually identical for RLL (0.73 z vs. 0.72 z). When differences within pairs in the extent of change in RLL and RKH were assessed directly, mother-daughter mean differences approached significance at an alpha level of 0.05 (Delta = 0.26 z; F = 3.42, df = 1, 42, P = 0.071). Father-son differences were smaller (Delta = 0.09 z) and statistically insignificant suggesting very similar amounts of change in the two indices.

The magnitude of changes in linear growth within Taiwanese families: intrinsic sex‐associated biology, socially mediated behaviors, or both?

“…Fifty six of these families were represented by a son while 51 families were represented by a daughter. Details of recruitment and measurement procedures for the first group of families contacted in 2003 are reported elsewhere (Floyd, ). The same procedures were used to gather information from 27 additional Taiwanese families in 2007.…”

Association of Parental Height With Offspring Stunting in 14 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…We hypothesized that there might be an intrauterine effect of maternal height on child stunting, and a child born to the shortest mother and father might have the highest risk of being stunted. In addition, some existing studies found that there was a sex-specific or age-specific parental-offspring association (18)(19)(20), whereas some others did not (21). Therefore, we also attempted to explore such associations based on much larger sample size.…”

Intergenerational effects of early life nutrition: Maternal leg length predicts offspring placental weight and birth weight among women in rural Luzon, Philippines

“…In particular, leg length (LL) is more sensitive to early life nutrition than are other components of stature growth, making it a useful retrospective index of early life nutrition (Bogin et al, 2002;Gunnell, 2002;Krogman, 1972;Leitch, 1951;Li et al, 2007;Scammon, 1930;Scrimshaw and B'Ehar, 1965;Tanner, 1978;Wadsworth, 2002). Evidence for this comes from studies that directly measure early nutrition in low-income populations (Bogin et al, 2002;Frisancho et al, 2001), while improvements in socioeconomic conditions have also been shown to primarily reflect increases in leg growth (Bogin and Keep, 1999;Floyd, 2008;Sanna and Soro, 2000).…”