Influence of Adult Knee Height, Age at First Birth, Migration, and Current Age on Adult Physical Function of Bangladeshi Mothers and Daughters in the United Kingdom and Bangladesh
Table 1
Characteristics of the participants given as mean values (standard deviations) or percentages. All values are as measured with no statistical adjustment for age differences.
Cardiff mothers ()+
Bangladesh mothers ()
Cardiff daughters ()++
Bangladesh daughters ()
Age (yr)
55.3 (8.1) Range = 40–69
51.9 (8.8) Range = 40–70
27.4 (5.5)** Range = 17–36
22.8 (5.1)** Range = 17–35
Age when married (yr)
16.3 (2.7)
16.5 (3.3)
18.7 (2.3) n = 24
—
Age at 1st birth
20.8 (4.2)
23.2 (5.5)
21.3 (2.2) n = 20
20.5 (2.6) n = 6
Age at final birth
34.4 (6.7)
35.8 (5.3)
—
—
Total pregnancies
6.6 (2.0)
5.6 (2.1)
2.9 (1.0) n = 20
2.9 (2.3) n = 7
Number of living children
5.6 (1.8)
4.9 (1.6)
2.6 (0.9). n = 20
2.7 (1.5) n = 7
Height (cm)
147.7 (6.2)
148.8 (5.7)
153.2 (5.8)
152.7 (6.0)
Sitting height (cm)
77.4 (3.7)
76.4 (3.4)
81.4 (2.4)**
78.2 (3.0)**
Knee height (cm)
45.9 (2.4)
46.9 (2.4)
46.7 (2.5)
48.2 (2.3)
Weight (kg)
66.0 (13.4)*
53.5 (15.2)*
64.5 (14.5)**
50.8 (10.6)**
Waist circumference (cm)
97.9 (9.6)*
82.5 (14.0)*
82.4 (13.0)**
72.4 (8.3)**
BMI (kg/m2)
30.1 (5.2)*
24.1 (6.4)*
27.5 (5.7)**
21.8 (4.4)**
BMI category
Underweight
0%
13.6%
0%
22.7%
Acceptable risk
5%
40.9%
25.0%
40.9%
Increased risk
30%
18.2%
22.5%
22.7%
High risk
65%
27.3%
42.5%
13.6%
Physical function scoreβ
6.3 (3.0)*
9.4 (1.9)*
10.8 (1.1)
11.2 (0.8)
Mean age at migration = 30 years.
++20 born in UK and 17 born in Bangladesh; mean age at migration = 8.2 years, median = 8.0, range = <1 year to 23 years. WHO BMI cut-off categories for South Asians: underweight <18.5; increasing but acceptable risk 18.5–23; increased risk 23.1–27.5; high risk >27.5. βScore on the short physical function battery, maximum score = 12.
*Means for the mothers are significantly different, P ≤ .01.
**Means for the daughters are significantly different, P ≤ .01.