Height was measured using a standard stadiometer with a sliding head plate, a base plate and three connecting rods marked with a metric measuring scale. Participants were asked to remove their selleck chemicals shoes. One measurement was taken,

with the participant stretching to the maximum height. Weight was measured using Tanita electronic scales with a digital display (Tanita Corporation, Japan). Participants were asked to remove their shoes and any bulky clothing and a single measurement was recorded to the nearest 100 g.7 Body mass index (BMI) was computed as weight (kilograms) divided by squared height (metres). SEP measures Social class (of the household reference person) was determined by asking questions on participants’ occupation and using the Registrar General’s classification to group them as I&II (professional and managerial/technical), III non-manual, III manual, IV&V (semiskilled manual and unskilled manual). Equivalised household income was grouped into quintiles.

Highest education qualification was coded as no qualification and three levels: level 1 represents secondary school or below (National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) 1/Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) and NVQ2/General Certificate of Education (GCE) O level equivalent); level 2 represents postcompulsory secondary school (NVQ3/GCE A level equivalent) and level 3 represents higher education (higher education below degree and NVQ4/NVQ5/degree or higher). Area deprivation was assessed using the 2004 Index of Multiple

Deprivation (IMD), a continuous score that we grouped into quintiles (1 representing the most deprived quintile, and 5 representing the least deprived). ST and physical activity measures A random subsample of HSE 2008 participants were selected to wear a uniaxial accelerometer (Actigraph model GT1M, Pensacola, Florida) during waking hours for seven consecutive days. Consistent with previous epidemiological SB studies,22 the sampling epoch was 1 min and non-wear time was defined as periods of at least 60 consecutive minutes of zero minutely counts, with allowance for up to 2 consecutive minutes of 1–100 counts/min. For a day to be ‘valid’ for inclusion in the analyses, participants had to have worn the accelerometer for a minimum of 600 min. Participants with at least 1 day of valid Cilengitide wear were included in these analyses.22 Self-reported ST was assessed using a set of questions on the usual week/weekend day in the past 4 weeks prior to the interview time spent on: (1) TV (including DVDs and videos) viewing; and (2) any other sitting during non-work times, including reading and computer use. For those participants who were economically active another set of questions assessed the average daily times spent sitting or standing while at work.