Sohn Kitae
Department of Economics, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-701, South Korea.
Am J Hum Biol. 2015 Jul-Aug;27(4):538-45. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.22682. Epub 2015 Jan 29.
While one group (Positive Group) has argued that leg length is a more accurate biomarker of early life conditions than height, another group (Negative Group) has challenged this argument. Analyzing Indonesian data, we attempt to reconcile these contrasting arguments.
The sample consists of 4,193 men and 4,684 women, aged 40-70. We regress leg length, trunk length, and height each on education (a proxy for early life conditions), age, and ethnicity. We also adjust for hip size and shrinkage.
The relationship is statistically significant for leg length, which is generally consistent with the assertion of the Positive Group. However, the relationship is smaller than that for height, which is generally consistent with that of the Negative Group. Specifically, an additional year of schooling is associated with a 0.080 cm longer leg length for men and 0.078 cm for women. The corresponding figures for height are 0.260 cm and 0.201 cm. This remains true when the magnitude of the relationship is compared with the mean length.
Small sample sizes appear to drive the Negative Group's finding that leg length is not statistically significantly related to early life conditions. However, the magnitude of the relationship confirms the Negative Group's argument that leg length is not a more accurate biomarker of early life conditions than height.
一组人（正方）认为腿长比身高更能准确反映早期生活状况的生物标志物，而另一组人（反方）则对这一观点提出了质疑。通过分析印度尼西亚的数据，我们试图调和这两种相互矛盾的观点。
样本包括4193名男性和4684名女性，年龄在40至70岁之间。我们分别将腿长、躯干长度和身高对教育程度（早期生活状况的一个替代指标）、年龄和种族进行回归分析。我们还对臀围大小和收缩情况进行了调整。
腿长的这种关系具有统计学意义，这总体上与正方的观点一致。然而，这种关系比身高的关系要小，这总体上与反方的观点一致。具体而言，男性多接受一年教育，腿长会增加0.080厘米，女性则增加0.078厘米。身高对应的数字分别为0.260厘米和0.201厘米。将这种关系的大小与平均长度进行比较时，情况依然如此。
样本量小似乎导致了反方关于腿长与早期生活状况无统计学显著关系的发现。然而，这种关系的大小证实了反方的观点，即腿长并非比身高更能准确反映早期生活状况的生物标志物。
