| 1946 cohort mean (SD) | 1958 cohort mean (SD) | p Value | |
| Children of non manual workers | 1181 | 1796 | |
| Birth weight (g) | 3384 (500) | 3408 (494) | ns |
| Adult standing height (cm) | 169.2 (9.1) | 170.7 (9.2) | *** |
| Adult sitting height (cm) | 89.6 (4.6) | 89.8 (4.5) | ns |
| % Sitting height | 53.0 (1.7) | 52.7 (1.6) | *** |
| % Growth 0–7 | 71.4 (3.4) | 72.7 (3.6) | *** |
| FEV (ml) | 3068 (687) | 3412 (755) | *** |
| FVC (ml) | 3755 (890) | 4328 (970) | *** |
| Children of manual workers | 986 | 4,151 | |
| Birth weight (g) | 3392 (518) | 3359 (502) | ns |
| Adult standing height (cm) | 167.8 (8.9) | 168.9 (9.2) | *** |
| Adult sitting height (cm) | 89.1 (4.6) | 89.1 (4.6) | ns |
| % Sitting height | 53.1 (1.9) | 52.8 (1.6) | *** |
| % Growth 0–7 | 71.1 (3.4) | 72.5 (3.6) | *** |
| FEV (ml) | 2980 (680) | 3271 (751) | *** |
| FVC (ml) | 3599 (874) | 4151 (977) | *** |
Measures were compared using independent sample Student’s t tests assuming equal variances. Significance levels are reported as: ns: p⩾0.05, *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001