Freeman J V, Power C, Rodgers B
Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Int J Epidemiol. 1995 Oct;24(5):970-6. doi: 10.1093/ije/24.5.970.
The expense and inconvenience of accurate assessment of fat/lean body mass have engendered a reliance on weight-for-height indices in epidemiological investigations; indices which are independent of height have been considered desirable.
The relationship between weight-for-height and height was examined using the 1958 birth cohort, National Child Development Study, at ages 7, 11, 16, 23 and 33 years. For each age the sample was divided into a number of height groups; underweight, overweight and obesity were defined by relative weight (RW) and body mass index (BMI) in childhood and adulthood respectively.
In childhood the variance of RW showed substantial and systematic associations with height. Both underweight and overweight/obesity were related to height: patterns differed by age and sex, being most evident at age 7 in both sexes, continuing at age 11 (but more so in boys), and disappearing by age 16. At age 23, underweight was more prevalent and overweight and obesity less prevalent in the taller groups due to a linear correlation between BMI and height. At age 33 obesity was less prevalent in taller groups, particularly in women.
These findings have implications for studies of obesity comparing groups which differ in height, for example, different cohorts or social classes. In the short term, interpretation of such results should take account of the phenomenon described. In the longer term, information is needed on the relationship between height and more precise assessment of adiposity to confirm the findings of the current analysis.
准确评估脂肪/瘦体重的费用及不便促使在流行病学调查中依赖身高体重指数；人们认为与身高无关的指数更为可取。
利用1958年出生队列全国儿童发展研究，在7岁、11岁、16岁、23岁和33岁时研究身高体重与身高之间的关系。对于每个年龄，样本被分为若干身高组；儿童期和成年期分别通过相对体重（RW）和体重指数（BMI）定义体重过轻、超重和肥胖。
在儿童期，RW的方差与身高呈现出显著且系统的关联。体重过轻和超重/肥胖均与身高有关：模式因年龄和性别而异，在7岁时两性中最为明显，11岁时依然存在（但男孩中更明显），到16岁时消失。在23岁时，由于BMI与身高之间的线性相关性，较高身高组中体重过轻更为普遍，超重和肥胖则不那么普遍。在33岁时，较高身高组中肥胖不太普遍，尤其是在女性中。
这些发现对于比较身高不同的群体（例如不同队列或社会阶层）的肥胖研究具有启示意义。短期内，对这类结果的解释应考虑到所描述的现象。从长远来看，需要了解身高与更精确的肥胖评估之间的关系，以证实当前分析的结果。
