Association between early-life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine and poor physical function later in life: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between early-life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine (1959-1961) and the prevalence of poor physical function in midlife.

Design: A population-based historical prospective study was performed as part of a wider cross-sectional survey. Exposure to famine was defined by birthdate, and participants were divided into non-exposed group, fetal-exposed group and infant-exposed group.