| Childhood conditions and education as determinants of adult height and obesity among Greenland Inuit. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 19844903 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Height and obesity are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and other physical and mental health conditions. Their association with childhood socioeconomic position has been demonstrated in studies among European and a few third world populations. In a random sample of adult Greenland Inuit (N = 2302) we studied the association between childhood socioeconomic conditions and height as well as prevalence of obesity (BMI > or = 30) in a cross sectional design. In block recursive graphical independence models, height was associated with mother's place of birth, birth cohort, childhood residence, alcohol problems in childhood home, and education among both men and women. Obesity was associated with mother's place of birth (for men) and with alcohol problems (for women). In General Linear Models, men with an all rural background and no education beyond primary school measured on average 165.1 cm compared with 172.1 cm for men with an all urban background (P < 0.001); women measured 153.9 and 161.1 cm (P < 0.001). Rural-urban differences in prevalence of obesity were not statistically significant. The height differences were considerably larger than between educational groups in European countries and of the same order of magnitude as those reported between men from the 17th century and men from 400 BC in the European and Mediterranean region. The rural-urban gradient in height follows the socioeconomic gradient and may negatively affect cardiovascular risk among the rural Greenlanders, while their physically active lifestyle and high consumption of n-3 fatty acids may counteract this. |
| | |
Authors:
|
P Bjerregaard; |
Related Documents
:
|
10918533 - Overweight and obesity in brazilian adolescents. 19515733 - Do burdens of underweight and overweight coexist among lower socioeconomic groups in in... 15141373 - Instrument development of the self-efficacy scale for abused women. |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council Volume: 22 ISSN: 1520-6300 ISO Abbreviation: Am. J. Hum. Biol. Publication Date: 2010 May-Jun |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2010-04-14 Completed Date: 2010-07-12 Revised Date: 2010-09-28 |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 8915029 Medline TA: Am J Hum Biol Country: United States |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 360-6 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Centre for Health Research in Greenland, Øster Farimagsgade 5A, 2nd floor, DK-1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark. pb@niph.dk |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
Adolescent Adult Aged Aged, 80 and over Alcoholism / ethnology Body Height* Cohort Studies Cross-Sectional Studies Female Greenland / epidemiology Health Surveys Humans Inuits / statistics & numerical data* Male Middle Aged Obesity / ethnology* Prevalence Residence Characteristics Sex Factors Socioeconomic Factors Young Adult |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Does second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D) predict age at menarche in women?
Next Document: Discrimination, psychosocial stress, and health among Latin American immigrants in Oregon.