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Müller SM, Floris J, Rohrmann S, Staub K, Matthes KL. Body height among adult male and female Swiss Health Survey participants in 2017: Trends by birth years and associations with self-reported health status and life satisfaction. Prev Med Rep 2022; 29:101980. [PMID: 36161131 PMCID: PMC9502675 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Increase in average body height had slowed down from around the 1970s birth cohorts. Women and men with tertiary education levels were taller than participants holding other education levels. Taller participants were less overweighted and were more satisfied with their lives than shorter participants. Taller participants had better overall health than shorter participants. Taller men were more likely to have lower back pain than shorter men.
The increase in adult height for 150 years is linked to overall improvements in nutrition, hygiene, and living standards. Height is positively associated with general health and success on various levels (e.g. quality of life, earnings or happiness). The aim of this study was to investigate whether different subgroups show different trends across birth cohorts. We wanted to know whether taller individuals considered themselves as healthier and their quality of life as better than shorter individuals. We included 19,435 participants from the Swiss population-based Health Survey 2017. GAM were used to assess nonlinear associations between height and birth year. Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict probabilities of self-rated health in relation to height. The increase in average height slows down from the 1970s birth cohorts. Participants with parents from Central/Northern/Western Europe (men 177.9 cm, women: 165.1 cm) or Eastern Europe (men 178.7 cm, women: 165.7 cm) were taller than participants with parents from South America (men 174.3 cm, women: 161. cm) and Asia (men 173.2 cm, women: 160.1 cm). Participants with tertiary education were taller than participants from education levels (mean difference men: 4.5 cm, women: 5.0 cm). Height was positively associated with self-declared aspects of health and life satisfaction. These results support the conclusion that body height as a co-factor of health aspects should be considered in public health research. Although adult body height can no longer be influenced, nutritional status and thus also healthy growth can be influenced in childhood by public health programs, by eliminating social inequalities, and by strengthen healthy living conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joël Floris
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of History, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Rohrmann
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kaspar Staub
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), Zurich, Switzerland
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Physical shortness lessens victim-blaming: The mediating role of belief in a just world. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-018-0045-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Koloverou E, Foscolou A, Gkouvas K, Tyrovolas S, Matalas AL, Polychronopoulos E, Chrysohoou C, Pitsavos C, Panagiotakos DB. Waist-to-Height Ratio Outperforms Classic Anthropometric Indices in Predicting Successful Aging in Older Adults; an Analysis of the ATTICA and MEDIS Epidemiological Studies. Exp Aging Res 2020; 46:154-165. [PMID: 31939711 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2020.1716155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Background/Study context: The aim of the present work was to investigate the association of Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) with Successful Aging (SA) status and compare it to classic anthropometric indices, among middle-aged and older individuals.Methods: Among various socio-demographic, clinical and lifestyle characteristics, height, weight, waist circumference (WC), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) and WHtR of the Greek participants, over 50 years old, enrolled in the ATTICA (n = 1,128) and the MEDIS (n = 2,221) in relation to SA; SA was evaluated using the validated Successful Aging Index (SAI, range 0-10) comprising of health-related, social, lifestyle, and clinical parameters.Results: WHtR was inversely associated with SAI with every 0.1-unit increase, lowering SAI by almost 0.5 units (b-coefficient±SE: -4.71 ± 0.26; 95%CI: -5.21, -4.20). Also, WHtR was more strongly associated with SAI (b = -0.352), surpassing the effect of age and sex (b = -0.347 and 0.11, respectively). With respect to the other anthropometric indices (weight, height, WC, WHR), WHtR exhibited the highest explanatory ability (Adjusted R2 = 0.345); the higher the adjusted R2 the higher explanatory ability.Conclusions: WHtR was revealed as the best determinant of successful aging, with respect to other anthropometric indices (weight, height, WC, WHR). The present findings are of significant public health importance for better understanding the role of body mass distribution on the aging process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efi Koloverou
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Alexandra Foscolou
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Gkouvas
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Stefanos Tyrovolas
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.,Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Fundació Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonia-Leda Matalas
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelos Polychronopoulos
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Christina Chrysohoou
- First Cardiology Clinic, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Pitsavos
- First Cardiology Clinic, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Demosthenes B Panagiotakos
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.,Department of Kinesiology and Health, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.,Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
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Castro-Porras LV, Rojas-Russell ME, Aedo-Santos Á, Wynne-Bannister EG, López-Cervantes M. Stature in adults as an indicator of socioeconomic inequalities in Mexico. Rev Panam Salud Publica 2018; 42:e29. [PMID: 31093058 PMCID: PMC6386041 DOI: 10.26633/rpsp.2018.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To estimate the association between stature in Mexican adults and some sociodemographic factors. METHODS We studied a sample of 30 970 subjects, using anthropometric data from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT 2012). The first quartile was used as the cutoff to define short stature. We analyzed differences among stature strata for sociodemographic variables by using the Kruskal-Wallis test. We estimated odds ratios to measure the association between stature and sociodemographic variables, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS Persons from the southern region of the country were some three times as likely to be of short stature than were subjects in the northern region. The stature difference between the Mexican states with the highest and the lowest average stature was larger than the average difference in stature between Mexico and the United States of America. Adults who had had less than six years of schooling presented the highest prevalence of short stature, regardless of sex, region of the country, place of residence (rural or urban), or the proportion of indigenous language speakers in a state. In addition, the stratum with the highest marginalization (percentage of the population lacking education and services, with a low income, and living in a small community) showed the highest prevalence of short stature. CONCLUSION In Mexico, adults who are of short stature have unequal living conditions when compared to those of average or high stature, and this could drive increases in health inequity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mario E. Rojas-Russell
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ángeles Aedo-Santos
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
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Abstract
In this review, the potential causes and consequences of adult height, a measure of cumulative net nutrition, in modern populations are summarized. The mechanisms linking adult height and health are examined, with a focus on the role of potential confounders. Evidence across studies indicates that short adult height (reflecting growth retardation) in low- and middle-income countries is driven by environmental conditions, especially net nutrition during early years. Some of the associations of height with health and social outcomes potentially reflect the association between these environmental factors and such outcomes. These conditions are manifested in the substantial differences in adult height that exist between and within countries and over time. This review suggests that adult height is a useful marker of variation in cumulative net nutrition, biological deprivation, and standard of living between and within populations and should be routinely measured. Linkages between adult height and health, within and across generations, suggest that adult height may be a potential tool for monitoring health conditions and that programs focused on offspring outcomes may consider maternal height as a potentially important influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Perkins
- J.M. Perkins is with the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; and the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. S.V. Subramanian is with the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. G. Davey Smith is with the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom. E. Özaltin is with the Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - S V Subramanian
- J.M. Perkins is with the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; and the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. S.V. Subramanian is with the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. G. Davey Smith is with the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom. E. Özaltin is with the Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - George Davey Smith
- J.M. Perkins is with the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; and the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. S.V. Subramanian is with the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. G. Davey Smith is with the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom. E. Özaltin is with the Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Emre Özaltin
- J.M. Perkins is with the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; and the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. S.V. Subramanian is with the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. G. Davey Smith is with the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom. E. Özaltin is with the Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA.
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Robbins JA, Qi L, Garcia L, Younger JW, Seldin MF. Relationship of pain and ancestry in African American women. Eur J Pain 2015; 19:601-10. [PMID: 25752262 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND African Americans are reported to be more sensitive to pain than European Americans. Pain sensitivity has been shown to be genetically linked in animal models and is likely to be in humans. METHODS Exactly, 11,239 self-identified African American post-menopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative had percentage African ancestry determined by ancestry informative markers, "Pain Construct" measurements and covariate information. They answered five questions about specific types and location of pain, such as joint, neck, low back, headache and urinary. They also answered two questions which were used to derive a "Pain Construct", a measure of general pain scored on a scale of 1-100. Associations were tested in linear regression models adjusting for age, self-reported medical conditions, neighbourhood socio-economic status, education and depression. RESULTS In the unadjusted model of the five specific types of pain measures, greater pain perception was associated with a higher proportion of African ancestry. However, some of the specific types of pain measures were no longer associated with African ancestry after adjustment for other study covariates. The Pain Construct was statistically significantly associated with African ancestry in both the unadjusted [β = -0.132, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -099 to -0.164; r = -0.075, 95% CI -0.056 to -0.093] and the adjusted models (β = -0.069 95% CI = -0.04 to -0.10). CONCLUSIONS Greater African ancestry was associated with higher levels of self-reported pain, although this accounted for only a minor fraction of the overall variation in the Pain Construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Robbins
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis
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