The Influence of the Demographic Factor on the Growth and Development of Younger School-Age Girls

Abstract

In order to determine the difference in morphological characteristics, a survey was conducted on a sample of 120 fourth-grade elementary schoolgirls from different socio-economic backgrounds in Montenegro. The total sample of respondentswas divided into two sub-samples. One sub-group consisted of 60 schoolgirls from urban and the other 60 schoolgirls of the same age from rural environment. A sample of measuring instruments consisted of 12 measures (body height, arm length, leg length, shoulder width, elbow diameter, knee diameter, body mass, upper arm circumference, lower leg circumference, skin fold of the back, skin fold of the upper arm and skin fold of the abdomen). In the process of statistical data processing, descriptiveand canonical discriminatory analysis were applied in order to identify possible differences between sub-databases. The obtained research data generally indicate the existence of statistically significant differences between sub-samples. This difference is evident in indicators of longitudinal and transversal dimensionality of the skeleton, and in contrast, the difference was not evident in indicators of volume and body weight and subcutaneous fat tissue. Girls from the urban environment were taller and had more pronounced measures in the upper and lower extremities and girls from rural areas had more pronounced measures of knee joint diameter than their peers from urban life.