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The relationship between adult height and diabetes in India: A countrywide cross-sectional study
Authors: Majd Al Ssabbagh, Pascal Geldsetzer, Till Bärnighausen, and Andreas Deckert
Source: Journal of Diabetes, Online first; DOI: 10.1111/1753-0407.12977
Topic(s): Adult height
Diabetes
Country: Asia
  India
Published: AUG 2019
Abstract: BACKGROUND: One major aspect of the epidemiological transition happening in India is the increased diabetes prevalence. Poor environmental conditions in early childhood potentially can increase the risk of developing diabetes in adulthood. Adults' height as an indirect indicator might reflect such conditions. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between adult height as a proxy for early childhood conditions and the risk of developing diabetes in India. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used national representative data of the latest National Family Health Survey (2015-2016), comprising 512?616 women aged 20 to 49 and 87?281 men aged 20 to 54. We applied the multivariable fractional polynomials approach in logistic regression models to allow for nonlinear relationships between height and diabetes, separated by sex. Additionally, we fitted logistic regression models with height categories. Fixed effects linear probability models were used to control for potential confounding. RESULTS: The study revealed a linear relationship between increasing height and increasing diabetes risk among men. Among women, the shortest were at the highest risk (not significant). CONCLUSIONS: Among Indian men, being taller increases the risk of developing diabetes, which contradicts findings from other countries. In contrast, the shortest women seem to be at the greatest risk. Hence, public health interventions in India might be well advised to focus more on the nutrition status of young girls. © 2019 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. KEYWORDS: India; body size; diabetes mellitus; environment; health survey