Intergenerational change in anthropometric indices and their predictors among children in New Delhi birth cohort

Intergenerational change in anthropometry of children and adolescents in the New Delhi Birth Cohort

BACKGROUND

A comparison of the anthropometry of children and adolescents with that of their parents at the same age may provide a more precise measure of intergenerational changes in linear growth and body mass index (BMI).

METHODS

New Delhi Birth Cohort participants (F1), born between 1969 and 1972, were followed up for anthropometry at birth and at 6-monthly intervals until 21 years of age. At variable intervals 1447 children, aged 0-19 years (F2) and born to 818 F1 participants, were measured (weight and height), providing 2236 sets of anthropometries. Intergenerational changes (F2-F1) in height and BMI [absolute and standard deviation (SD) units] were computed by comparing children with their parents at corresponding ages.

RESULTS

F2 children were taller (P < 0.001) than their parents at corresponding ages; the increase {mean [95% confidence interval)CI)] World Health Organization SD units} was 0.97 (0.83, 1.11), 1.21 (1.10, 1.32), 1.09 (0.98, 1.19), 1.10 (1.00, 1.21) and 0.75 (0.65, 0.85) for age categories of 0-5, 5-7.5, 7.5-10, 10-12.5 and >12.5 years, respectively. In absolute terms, this increase ranged from 3.5 cm (0-5-year-olds) to 7.5 cm (10-12.5-year-olds). The corresponding increases in BMI SD scores were 0.32 (0.18, 0.47), 0.60 (0.45, 0.75), 1.13 (0.99, 1.27), 1.30 (1.15, 1.45) and 1.00 (0.85, 1.15), respectively. The absolute BMI increase ranged from 1-3 kg/m2 at >5 years age to ∼3 kg/m2 at >10-years of age. The intergenerational increases were comparable in both sexes, but were greater in children born and measured later. A positive change in socioeconomic status was associated with an increase in height across the generations.

CONCLUSIONS

Children and adolescents, throughout the ages 0-19 years, have become considerably taller and have a higher BMI than their parents at corresponding ages in an urban middle-class Indian population undergoing socioeconomic improvements.

Utility of anthropometric traits and indices in predicting the risk of coronary artery disease in the adult men of southern Andhra Pradesh

BACKGROUND/AIM

Optimal cutoff values are influenced by ethnicity, geography, lifestyles, and physical activity, and hence, there is a need for establishing population- and disease-specific cutoff values to screen individuals/populations. Therefore, the present study was carried out to determine the optimal cutoff values of anthropometric variables for coronary artery disease (CAD) for the population of southern Andhra Pradesh.

METHODS

One hundred sixty five patients with CAD and 87 controls were recruited, and 52 anthropometric variables were measured for them.

RESULTS

Higher means in 22 anthropometric variables covering circumferences, skinfold thickness (sft), and indices were observed in patients than those in controls. Receiver operator curve analysis revealed that 18 variables including circumference, sft, and fat measures with an area under curve ranging from 0.61 to 0.72 were found to have the ability of predicting the risk of CAD. A stepwise discriminant analysis showed 9 variables to correctly classify 87.4% of subjects into CAD and controls. In logistic regression analysis, among these 9 variables, only circumferences of abdomen and foot; sft of supratellar, thigh and calf; and sum of subscapular/suprailiac, waist-hip ratio and lean body mass were associated with CAD and explained 73.4% of its variation.

CONCLUSIONS

Eighteen anthropometric variables were found to have the ability of predicting the risk of CAD. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the use of anthropometric variables in predicting the risk of CAD.