Use of leg length to height ratio to assess the risk of childhood overweight and obesity: results from a longitudinal cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether leg-length to height ratio (LLHR) measured in children can be used to assess overweight and obese status 3 years later.


METHODS
A total of 1166 children from South Ontario, Canada, were assessed in grade five and again in grade eight were included in this analysis. On the basis of LLHR gender-specific quartile cutoffs in grade five, children were categorized into four groups (Q1[low]-Q4). Gender and age specific cutoffs of body mass index were used to categorize children as overweight/obese or normal weight in grade eight. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the overweight/obesity risk association with LLHR.


RESULTS
In comparing those in Q1 of LLHR, we found the odds ratios (OR, 95% confidence interval) of overweight/obese for those in the Q2-Q4 were 0.60 (0.29-1.21), 0.43 (0.21-0.89), and 0.32 (0.15-0.70) for boys and 0.77 (0.36-1.64), 0.60 (0.28-1.29), and 0.27 (0.12-0.62) for girls, respectively. The overweight/obesity risk association with LLHR remains after removing those who were considered overweight/obese at grade five.


CONCLUSIONS
LLHR is associated with risk of childhood overweight/obesity. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of LLHR on development of obesity.
Department of Community Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. jliu@brocku.ca
Jian
J
Liu
Nadia
N
Akseer
Brent E
BE
Faught
John
J
Cairney
John
J
Hay
D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods