Body size and breast cancer in a black population-The Barbados National Cancer Study

To evaluate the relationship between body size and incident breast cancer in an African-origin Caribbean population. This investigation is based on 222 incident breast cancer cases and 454 controls from the Barbados National Cancer Study (BNCS) in whom body size variables that included height, weight, body-mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences (WC, HC), and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were compared. Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed and the findings are presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Although 33% of cases and 39% of controls were obese (BMI a parts per thousand yen 30 kg/m(2)), BMI was not found to be a significant predictor of breast cancer in the multivariate analyses. Tall stature increased risk among women a parts per thousand yen50 years (OR = 2.16, 95% CI (1.02, 4.58)), and a dual effect with age was suggested for both WC and WHR (decreased risk for those aged a parts per thousand currency sign50 years; increased risk among those a parts per thousand yen50 years). Body size appears to influence the risk of breast cancer in this population of African origin. The BNCS data suggest that a few, but not all body size factors play a role in breast cancer risk, and that age may affect these relationships.