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Anthropometric measures do not explain the 2D: 4D ratio sexual dimorphism in 7-year-old children
Centre for Research and Education, County Council of Värmland, Karlstad, Sweden.
Örebro University, School of Medical Sciences. Centre for Research and Education, County Council of Värmland, Karlstad, Sweden; Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0837-1079
Västerås Hospital, County Council of Västmanland, Västerås, Sweden.
Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden; Department of Preventive Medicine, Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA .
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2022 (English)In: American Journal of Human Biology, ISSN 1042-0533, E-ISSN 1520-6300, Vol. 34, no 9, article id e23776Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

OBJECTIVES: Digit ratio (2D:4D) might reflect prenatal testosterone exposure and has been used as a putative marker for androgen related outcomes. However, such associations might be inflicted by confounders. Application of 2D:4D in epidemiological research motivate identification of biological background determinants. We examined sex, anthropometric measures, and maternal factors as determinants of 2D:4D in Swedish 7-year-old children.

METHODS: The study was embedded in the Swedish Environmental, Longitudinal, Mother and Child, Asthma and Allergy (SELMA) pregnancy cohort. A total of 870 pre-pubertal children, median 7.5 years of age, were studied. A single assessor performed digit measurements from scanned photocopies using computer software. Child anthropometric measurements investigated were hand size, birthweight, recumbent birth length, standing height, weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and waist/hip circumference. Maternal factors included age, pregnancy length, parity, and education.

RESULTS: We found a significant sexual dimorphism regarding digit lengths and 2D:4D, boys on average presenting a lower 2D:4D than girls also after adjustment for summed finger lengths and body fatness. In crude analyses, maternal age correlated with 2D:4D across the whole population and in females but not in adjusted models. No other study variables were associated with 2D:4D.

CONCLUSION: Digit ratio showed sexual dimorphism at the age of seven and seems to represent a true sex difference rather than an artifact and bias from hand size, body size or body fat content. Among the rest of our investigated variables, we found no determinants constituting important confounders in future research on 2D:4D ratio.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2022. Vol. 34, no 9, article id e23776
National Category
Pediatrics Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-99783DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23776ISI: 000815600300001PubMedID: 35751545Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85132575699OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-99783DiVA, id: diva2:1677858
Funder
Region Örebro CountySwedish Research Council FormasRegion VärmlandAvailable from: 2022-06-28 Created: 2022-06-28 Last updated: 2022-09-29Bibliographically approved

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Unenge Hallerbäck, MariaWikström, Sverre

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