Leg length in humans is considered to be an indicator of the long-term impact of quality of childhood living conditions and nutritional status. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of association of percentage body fat (PBF) with relative subischial leg length (RSLL), adjusting for age, sex and body mass index (BMI), among adolescents and adults in a population of poor socioeconomic background in India. Data were taken from a cross-sectional study conducted in 2010–2014 among the Limbu community of Darjeeling, West Bengal – an indigenous community with poor socioeconomic background, low literacy rate, low income and inadequate living conditions. The study villages were located in the Himalayan and sub-Himalayan regions of Darjeeling. The present study sample comprised 97 adolescents aged 16–19 years (47 boys, 50 girls) and 260 adults aged 20–39 years (135 men, 125 women). Anthropometric measurements of stature/height (cm), weight (kg), sitting height (cm) and skinfold thicknesses (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac) (mm) were recorded. Derived variables were BMI (kg/m2), subischial leg length (SLL) (cm), RSLL (%), sum of four skinfolds (mm) and PBF (%). Significant sex differences at p<0.05 were observed for all anthropometric characteristics, except for body weight among adolescents and RSLL, subscapular and sum of four skinfolds in adults. The linear regression models adjusting for age and sex showed that RSLL had a negative relationship with PBF (p<0.05) among adolescents and adults. Higher body fat, independent of BMI, was correlated with lower RSLL among both adolescents and adults from the Limbu community, indicating a possible association with poor quality living conditions in childhood. However, this may also have been due to the allometry of total body fat with body proportions – a relatively larger trunk results in more body fat.

中文翻译：

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西孟加拉邦大吉岭林布社区青少年和成人体脂百分比、相对坐骨下腿长度和体重指数之间的相互关系

人类的腿长被认为是儿童生活条件和营养状况质量长期影响的指标。本研究的主要目的是评估体脂百分比 (PBF) 与相对坐骨下腿长度 (RSLL) 的关联程度，调整年龄、性别和体重指数 (BMI)，在人群中的青少年和成年人中进行印度社会经济背景差。数据取自 2010 年至 2014 年在西孟加拉邦大吉岭林布社区进行的一项横断面研究，该社区是一个社会经济背景差、识字率低、收入低和生活条件不足的土著社区。研究村位于大吉岭的喜马拉雅和亚喜马拉雅地区。本研究样本包括 97 名 16-19 岁的青少年（47 名男孩，50 名女孩）和 260 名 20-39 岁的成年人（135 名男性，125 名女性）。记录身高/身高（cm）、体重（kg）、坐高（cm）和皮褶厚度（二头肌、三头肌、肩胛下肌、髂上肌）（mm）的人体测量数据。派生变量为 BMI (kg/m2)、坐骨下腿长 (SLL) (cm)、RSLL (%)、四个皮褶的总和 (mm) 和 PBF (%)。性别差异显着p除青少年体重和 RSLL、肩胛下和成人四个皮褶总和外，所有人体测量特征均观察到 <0.05。调整年龄和性别的线性回归模型显示 RSLL 与 PBF 呈负相关（p<0.05) 在青少年和成人中。与 BMI 无关的较高体脂与来自 Limbu 社区的青少年和成年人的较低 RSLL 相关，这表明可能与儿童时期质量较差的生活条件有关。然而，这也可能是由于全身脂肪与身体比例的异速生长——相对较大的躯干会导致更多的身体脂肪。