Centre for Global Health and Human Development, School of Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom.
Am J Hum Biol. 2013 Sep-Oct;25(5):659-65. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.22427. Epub 2013 Aug 1.
To test the hypothesis that leg length-relative-to-stature is a more sensitive indicator of nutrition and health than is total height (HT) or sitting height (SH) in a sample of 109 triads of urban Maya children (6.0-8.99 years), their mothers, and maternal grandmothers from Merida, Mexico.
From September 2011 to June 2012, the following factors were obtained from all participants: (1) HT, SH, and leg length (LL); (2) the sitting height ratio (SHR = [SH × 100]/HT), relative leg length index (RLLI = [LL × 100]/height), and percentiles and z-scores of HT, SH, and LL were calculated; and (3) the percentages of stunting for children or very short ZHT for the adults, short ZSH, and short ZLL: HT-for-age, SH-for-age, or LL-for-age below the 5th percentile of the reference were calculated. Correlations were performed to examine the association between z-scores of HT, SH, and LL among three generations.
Stunting in children was 11% (short ZLL = 29%, short ZSH = 7%). Short ZHT was present in 71% of mothers (short ZLL = 54%, short ZSH = 50%) and 90% of grandmothers (short ZLL = 69%, short ZSH = 83%). Significant correlations in ZHT, ZSH, and ZLL were found in mother-to-child and grandmother-to-mother, with the strongest correlations for ZLL.
These findings support the hypothesis for children and mothers. Based on ZLL, there is evidence that childhood and nutrition have improved somewhat for each younger generation. Persistent environmental adversity during growth resulted in growth deficits for LL and SH for the mothers and grandmothers.
在墨西哥梅里达的 109 个城市玛雅儿童（6.0-8.99 岁）、他们的母亲和祖母三胞胎样本中，测试腿长相对于身高是比总身高（HT）或坐高（SH）更能反映营养和健康状况的假设。
从 2011 年 9 月至 2012 年 6 月，从所有参与者中获得以下因素：（1）HT、SH 和 LL；（2）坐高比（SHR=[SH×100]/HT）、相对腿长指数（RLLI=[LL×100]/身高）和 HT、SH 和 LL 的百分位数和 Z 分数；（3）儿童生长迟缓率或成人非常短的 ZHT、短 ZSH 和短 ZLL 的百分比：HT 年龄、SH 年龄或 LL 年龄低于参考值第 5 个百分位数。进行相关性分析以检验三代人之间 HT、SH 和 LL 的 Z 分数之间的关联。
儿童生长迟缓率为 11%（短 ZLL=29%，短 ZSH=7%）。母亲中有 71%（短 ZLL=54%，短 ZSH=50%）和祖母中有 90%（短 ZLL=69%，短 ZSH=83%）存在短 ZHT。在母亲与孩子和祖母与母亲之间发现了 ZHT、ZSH 和 ZLL 的显著相关性，其中 ZLL 的相关性最强。
这些发现支持了儿童和母亲的假设。基于 ZLL，有证据表明每个年轻一代的儿童和营养状况都有所改善。在生长过程中持续存在的环境逆境导致母亲和祖母的 LL 和 SH 生长不足。
