Leg Length

Description
Height is often separated into two components - leg length and trunk length. Leg length, also called leg height and lower limb development, is thought to be more affected than trunk length by adverse childhood circumstances (Leitch, 1951). Adult leg length is particularly sensitive to diet (breastfeeding and energy intake) in early childhood given the rapidity of leg growth in this period (Wadsworth et al., 2002).

Significance of Measurement
Recent studies have shown that the association of overall height with cancer and cardiovascular disease is attributed to leg length (Davey Smith et al., 2001; Gunnell et al., 1998, 2001). Studies have shown that there is the positive association between leg height and cancer (Gunnell et al., 2001; Lawlor et al., 2003) and the inverse association between leg height and cardiovascular risk (Davey Smith et al., 2001; Gunnell et al., 2003).

References
· Davey Smith, G., Greenwood, R., Gunnell, D., Sweetnam, P., Yarnell, J., & Elwood, P. (2001). Leg length, insulin resistance, and coronary heart disease risk: The Caerphilly Study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 55, 867-872.
· Gunnell, D.J., Davey Smith, G., Holly, J.M.P., & Frankel, S. (1998). Leg length and risk of cancer in the Boyd Orr cohort. British Medical Journal, 317, 1350-1351.
· Gunnell, D., Okasha, M., Davey Smith, G., Oliver, S., Sandhu, J., & Holly, J. (2001). Height, leg length and cancer risk: A systematic review. Epidemiological Review, 23, 313-342.
· Gunnell, D., Whitley, E., Upton, M.N., McConnachie, A., Davey Smith, G., & Watt, G.C.M. (2003). Associations of height, leg length and lung function with cardiovascular risk factors in the Midspan Family Study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 57, 141-146.
· Lawlor, D.A., Okasha, M., Gunnell, D., Davey Smith, G., & Ebrahim S. (2003). Associations of adult measures of childhood growth with breast cancer: findings from the British Women’s Heart and Health Study. British Journal of Cancer, 89, 81-87.
· Leitch, I. (1951). Growth and health. British Journal of Nutrition, 5, 142-151.
· Wadsworth, M., Hardy, R., Paul, A., Marshall, S., & Cole, T. (2002). Leg and trunk length at 43 years in relation to childhood health, diet and family circumstances: Evidence from the 1946 national birth cohort. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31, 383-390.