Estimation of Heights and Body Masses of Tuberculosis Patients in the Canadian Fluoroscopy Cohort Study for Use in Individual Dosimetry

This paper documents the estimation of mean heights and body masses, by age and sex, used in development of organ-specific dose conversion coefficients for external radiation for a historical cohort of about 64,000 patients from the Canadian Fluoroscopy Cohort Study. Patients were exposed to repeated fluoroscopy and chest radiography examinations in the course of treatment for tuberculosis in residential medical facilities throughout Canada between 1930 and 1969. Using Canadian national survey data and extensive literature review, mean heights and masses were obtained for the White population of Canada during the time period of interest, and the differences in mean body mass between tuberculosis patients and the general population were estimated. Results in terms of mean height and body mass of Canadian tuberculosis patients, with uncertainties, are reported for selected age groups (children of ages 1, 5, 10, and 15 y and adults age 20+) and for both sexes. Use of estimated average heights and body masses by age and sex permits the adjustment of computerized phantoms for body mass for a given age, thereby increasing the relevance of the organ-specific dose conversion coefficients for the cohort and improving the accuracy of the resulting estimated organ doses.