Trends In Stature Research Articles

The diachronic trend of female and male stature in Milan over 2000 years

Stature is a biological trait directly determined by the interaction of genetic and environmental components. As such, it is often evaluated as an indicator for the reconstruction of skeletal biological profiles, past health, and social dynamics of human populations. Based on the analysis of 549 skeletons from the CAL (Collezione Antropologica LABANOF), a study of the diachronic trend of male and female adult stature in Milan (Italy) is being proposed here, covering a time span of about 2000 years, ranging from the Roman era to present-days. The skeletons, from necropolises dedicated to the less wealthy classes of Milanese society, were assigned to one of following five historical periods: Roman Era (first–fifth centuries AD), Early Middle Ages (sixth–tenth centuries AD), Late Middle Ages (eleventh–fifteenth centuries AD), Modern Era (sixteenth–eighteenth centuries AD) and Contemporary Era (nineteenth–twentieth centuries AD), and their stature was estimated according to the regression formulae of Trotter (1970). The collected data were then subjected to statistical analyses with ANOVA using R software. Although stature values showed an ample standard deviation in all periods, statistical analyses showed that stature did not significantly vary across historical periods in Milan for both sexes. This is one of the rare studies showing no diachronic changes in the trend of stature in Europe.

The Polish interbella puzzle: the biological standard of living in the Second Polish Republic, 1918–39 †

AbstractThe article aims to assess the importance of the timing of exposure to nutritional stress for adult stature. We test the hypothesis that exposure in adolescence (12 to 20 years of age) may have a more detrimental effect than exposure in infancy. To substantiate this, we analyse a sample of male prison inmates incarcerated in central Poland in the interwar period. We find that the secular trend in stature that had started in Poland in the 1860s was reversed in cohorts born between 1896 and 1904, who were exposed to nutritional stress during the First World War between the ages of 12 and 25 years. In comparison, wartime infants and toddlers did much better. In the improving economic conditions of the 1920s, they were able to undo the scars of war during their adolescence. The conclusion is corroborated by data concerning soldiers and conscripts to the Polish army. With regard to body mass index (BMI), we found that the trends among convicts and conscripts differ. This is caused by changes in the composition of the prison sample, related to the impact of the Great Depression. In summary, it seems that stature is a more robust proxy of well‐being than BMI.

Secular decline in limb bone strength among South African Africans during the 19th and 20th centuries.

South African Africans have been reported to have experienced negative or null secular trends in stature and other measures of skeletal structure across the 19th and 20th centuries, presumably due to poor living conditions during a time of intensifying racial discrimination. Here, we investigate whether any secular trend is apparent in limb bone strength during the same period. Cadaver-derived skeletons (n = 221) were analyzed from female and male South African Africans who were born between 1839 and 1970, lived in and around Johannesburg, and died between 1925 and 1991 when they were 17-90 years of age. For each skeleton, a humerus and femur were scanned using computed tomography, and mid-diaphyseal cross-sectional geometric properties were calculated and scaled according to body size. In general linear mixed models accounting for sex, age at death, and skeletal element, year of birth was a significant (p < .05) negative predictor of size-standardized mid-diaphyseal cortical area (a proxy for resistance to axial loading) and polar moment of area (a proxy for resistance to bending and torsion), indicating a temporal trend toward diminishing limb bone strength. No significant interactions were detected between year of birth and age at death, suggesting that the decline in limb bone strength was mainly due to changes in skeletal maturation rather than severity of age-related bone loss. Limb bone strength is thus potentially another feature of the skeletal biology of South African Africans that was compromised by poor living conditions during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Secular trends in adult stature among the Makushi of Guyana in the 20th Century.

This study describes secular trends in physical stature, Cormic Index (CI), and body mass index (BMI) of adult Makushi Amerindians born between 1910 and 1980, compares the stature of these Makushi adults to Makushi adults measured in 1921, and provides contextual data to inform the findings. Pearson's correlation was used to assess the relationship between year of birth and physical stature, BMI, and CI for 231 females and 113 males, 20 to 90 years of age measured in 2000 to 2001. Wilcoxon's test was used to compare physical stature of Makushi adults measured in 2000 to 2001 with that of 40 Makushi adults measured in 1921. Among Makushi measured in 2000 to 2001, females and males born more recently were taller and had a lower CI but did not differ in BMI relative to their elders. Makushi measured in 2000 to 2001 are significantly taller than those Maksuhi measured in 1921. The increased physical stature of and decreased CI in more recently born Makushi may be explained by a more favorable early life environment possibly due to public health measures and dietary changes. As well, trends in stature may be linked to genetic admixture with African-Guyanese migrating into the region during this time.

Between the Great War and the Great Depression: preliminary observations on the ‘missing link’ in the history of human stature in Poland

The paper traces the secular trend in stature in Poland in the interwar period. On the basis of individual measuring cards created by military authorities for Krosno and Sarny districts, the author states that the secular trend in stature that started in the mid-1860s continued between the two world wars with the velocity of at least 0.7 cm per decade, i.e. at a similar rate as in the second half of the 19th century. Although regional differences inside the Second Polish Republic were clearly visible, cohorts born during the Great War were able to make up the lost ground in their teens despite the hardships caused by the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Secular trends in stature of late 20th century white South Africans and two European populations

During the 20th century a general positive secular trend for stature is observed in developed countries around the world while shorter statures, often associated with a lack of a positive secular trend, have mostly been observed in populations with lower SES. The purpose of this study was to compare secular changes in stature between 20th century South Africans of European descent and two European populations. The comparative samples include Dutch males with which there is an assumed genetic relationship, and Swiss males for which the genetic association is less clear. The sample comprised anthropometric stature data of white South Africans (17–62 years), Swiss and Dutch males (18–21 years) obtained from military conscripts with birth cohorts of 5 years from 1946 to 1995. The stature of white South African males did not increase at a significant rate compared to those observed in Swiss and Dutch males. South African and Dutch males were of similar height following World War II, but a considerable trend was observed only in the Dutch group. The Swiss group was initially shorter than the South Africans, but due to a positive secular trend their average stature is on a par with that of South Africans in the most recent cohort. The lack of a significant positive secular trend in the South African group could suggest that factors such as gene flow and poor economic and social development in South Africa resulted in shorter statures in white South African groups than expected.

Study of Stature Estimation from Sternum Length in Adult Western Indian Population

Estimation of stature is an important objective in the identification of an individual from dismembered and skeletal remains in forensic osteology. Stature estimation, however, is a constantly changing target for forensic anthropologists because of the secular trends in stature, allometric changes in long bones, and the migration of world population. It’s a challenging task for forensic anthropologist or forensic medicine personnel to establish the identity of the dead, especially in mass disasters. The present research was hence, undertaken to study the correlation between stature and the length of the sternum. The present study was conducted in a tertiary care referral hospital and medical college in western India. The institutional clinical ethical committee has cleared the study protocol. Cadaver and sternum length was obtained from196 subjects. As we go from manubrium to total sternal length through mesosternum, the area under curve (AUC) goes on increasing. In the similar manner McFadden's Rho-square, Cox and Snell R-square, Naglekerke's R-square all have shown upward trend. The present study concludes that the length of the sternum is one of the reliable predictor of stature in the adult Western Indian population and can be used as a tool for stature estimation when better predictors of stature like the long bones of the limbs are not available during practical forensic case work involving examination of skeletal remains.

Height of Northern Jordanian middle-class adults, born 1960–1990 in the response to improving socio-economic conditions

The purpose of this study is to document and explain secular trends in stature among Northern Jordanian men and women between the years of birth 1960 and 1990, as they relate to overall per capita socio-economic improvement, the stature of 360 adults from two Northern governorates, those of Jerash and Irbid, was measured. General linear model (GLM) was used to examine the effect of birth-decade, education level of subject, and their interaction on mean stature of each sex separately. GLM results revealed that women who were born during the following three decades pooled together (1951–1980) did not differ significantly in mean stature from those born during (1981–1990). Among men, stature of those born in the two pooled birth-decades together (1951–1970) did not significantly differ of those were born in the two pooled birth-decades (1971–1990).

Measuring Inequality in Living Standards with Anthropometric Indicators: The Case of Mexico 1850–1986

By analyzing the Mexican case for the period 1850–1986, we argue that the average adult stature of a population can be used as a tool to analyze inequality in living standards. The findings suggest that the secular trend in stature is related to cycles of economic growth, inequality, wars and institutional changes. Such processes affect socioeconomic groups and regions differently and generate unequal living standard patterns. Moreover, male adult average height shows a U-shaped trend for the whole period of study. As a result, Mexico lagged behind on heights with respect to other Latin American economies such as Brazil and Colombia. Two different types of data sources are used for the analysis: military and passport records for the period 1850–1950 and the 2000 Mexican National Health Survey (ENSA-2000) and the 2006 Mexican National Survey on Health and Nutrition (ENSANUT-2006) for the remaining years.

SECULAR GROWTH AND MATURATION CHANGES IN HUNGARY IN RELATION TO SOCIOECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES.

This paper analyses the secular changes in the body development patterns of Hungarian children between the 1910s and the beginning of the 2000s in relation to socioeconomic and demographic changes in the country. Individual growth data of children were available from two national growth studies (1983-86, 2003-06), while sample-size weighted means of children's body dimensions were collected through regional studies between the 1920s and 1970s. Gross domestic product, Gini index, life expectancy at birth and under-5 mortality rate were used to assess the changes in economic status, income inequalities of the society and the population's general health status, respectively. Secular changes in food consumption habits were also examined. The positive Hungarian secular changes in socioeconomic status were associated with a continuous increase in children's body dimensions. The negative socioeconomic changes reflected only in wartime and post-war periods of children's growth, and the considerable socioeconomic changes at the beginning of the 1990s did not appear to influence the positive trend in children's growth. The positive secular trend in stature and body mass did not level off at the beginning of the 2000s: the socioeconomic conditions that support optimal growth and maturation could improve in Hungary.

Secular changes of stature in rural children and adolescents in China, 1985-2010.

To analyze and assess secular change in stature in rural children and adolescents in China from 1985 to 2010. Data were obtained from the 6 rounds of the Chinese National Survey on Student's Constitution and Health. The subjects enrolled in the study were children and adolescents aged 7-18 years in rural areas of provincial capitals. An overall positive secular trend in stature occurred in rural areas of provincial capitals in China from 1985 to 2010. The overall average increase rates were 3.1 and 2.4 cm/decade for boys and girls, respectively. The total body height increases for grown up boys and girls were 3.6 and 2.3 cm and the increase rates were 1.4 and 0.9 cm/decade, respectively. There were differences in body height increase among eastern, central and western regions. The average body height of the children or adolescents in eastern region was highest, followed by central region and western region. The overall increase rates in central region were highest among the three regions. The difference between eastern/central region and western region was obvious. Positive secular trend in stature of children or adolescents has occurred in rural area of China, and rural boys and girls showed a great potential for continuous growth. More attention should be paid to the differences in children's body height between western region and eastern/central region.

The trend of stature in pre-protohistoric Central-Southern Italy.

The trend of stature in pre-protohistoric Central-Southern Italy.

Évolution séculaire des dimensions anthropométriques chez des enfants français âgés de trois à 11 ans, entre 1953 et 2005

This study covers a fifty-year period between 1953 and 2005 and looks at secular trends in stature, weight and sitting height sizes among French boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 11. A special modelling in function to the age and variable for each child was established so that a comparison could be made in the kinetic growth patterns over these same two periods. Statistical analysis shows a significant increase in growth, of 0.8cm per decade in stature, characterised by a certain increase in the lower limbs and the weight (0.8kg per decade) together with a proportional increase on the body mass index. Positive secular trends of this anthropometric nature are generally thanks to improved eating and sanitary habits and this study enables us to build and elaborate new standards in growth patterns essential for monitoring auxological development in 3 to 11-year-old children in the years 2000 and onwards.

Stature estimation from long bone lengths in a Thai population

The estimation of stature is a very important step in developing a biological profile for forensic identification. However, little previous work has been done on stature estimation among modern Thai people, despite a growing number of forensic cases in Thailand in recent years. The current study was carried out on a sample of 200 skeletons from a northern Thai population (132 males and 68 females), ranging in age from 19 to 94 years. The maximum lengths of six long bones (humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia and fibula) were measured and stature reconstruction formulae generated using linear regression. These equations were then tested on a holdout sample of 15 females and 15 males. Results reveal that the three lower limb bones are the most accurate estimators of stature among the males, with the fibula equation producing the lowest standard error of the estimate (SE=4.89cm), followed by the femur (SE=5.06cm). Results for females were mixed. The femur produced the lowest standard error among the females (SE=5.21cm), followed by the radius (SE=5.63cm). However, when tested against the holdout sample (n=30), the femur equations were considerably more accurate, with a mean absolute error of 3.5cm and a median absolute error of 2.4cm. Females exhibited a higher standard error of the estimate than reported in many previous studies. This higher error may be the result of a recent secular trend in stature affecting the females of our sample somewhat more than the males.

Body proportion chart for evaluating changes in stature, sitting height and leg length in children and adolescents

Background: Studies by longitudinal sample to evaluate trends in stature, sitting height, leg length and body proportions together in Japanese children are scarce.Aim: Trends in stature, sitting height, leg length and LUR (lower segment and upper segment ratio) were evaluated with a graphical method (Body Proportion Chart).Subjects and methods: Longitudinal data for 520 boys and 306 girls who had 12 consecutive yearly measurements from 6.5–17.5 years of age were used.Results: Estimated growth rates of leg length were greater than those of sitting height in pre-adolescence in both sexes. Leg length was slightly longer in girls than in boys for a short period early in adolescence, but sitting height in girls exceeded that in boys for a longer period. LUR attained peak values between 12.5–13.5 years in girls (LUR = 85.7) and between 13.5–14.5 years in boys (LUR = 89.2). After attaining maximum LUR, leg length was stable, although sitting height continued to increase slightly in both sexes.Conclusion: The results highlight the usefulness of the Body Proportion Chart method for identifying changes in body proportions during adolescence.

Ciclos largos de nivel de vida biológico en España (1750–1950): propuesta metodológica y evidencias locales

This work proposes an applied methodology based on the logistic regression to establish the sign of long-term trends in height from male anthropometric data collected since the Ancient Regime when mandatory conscription system was implemented in Spain. Data refer to male cohorts born from mid 18 th century to mid 20 th century. Broad cohort aggregations and control on the minimum required height as well as on age and municipality serve to implement the logistic regression model. Results display a downward trend in stature for cohorts born throughout the 19 th century taking those born prior to 1800 as the reference. These results are statistically significant for the cohort group 1850–1899 as well as for those born after 1900 who display a clear recovery. Given that the 19 th-century local series constructed in Spain up to now show similar trends, we think that these outcomes may serve as a first valid approach to the trends followed by the nutritional status prior to the socioeconomic modernization process experienced by Spain.

Maternal capital and the metabolic ghetto: An evolutionary perspective on the transgenerational basis of health inequalities

There is particular interest in understanding socioeconomic and ethnic variability in health status. The developmental origins of disease hypothesis emphasize the importance of growth patterns across the life-course in relation to noncommunicable disease risk. The physiological components of cardiovascular risk, collectively termed the metabolic syndrome, derive in part from a disparity between the homeostatic "metabolic capacity" of vital organs and the "metabolic load" induced by large tissue masses, a rich diet and sedentary behavior. From an evolutionary perspective, the risk of such disparity is decreased by maternal physiology regulating offspring growth trajectory during gestation and lactation. Maternal capital, defined as phenotypic resources enabling investment in the offspring, allows effective buffering of the offspring from nutritional perturbations and represents the environmental niche initially occupied by the offspring. Offspring growth patterns are sensitive to the magnitude of maternal capital during early windows of plasticity. Offspring life-history strategy can then respond adaptively to further factors across the life-course, but only within the context of this initial maternal influence on growth. Maternal somatic capital is primarily gained or lost across generations, through variable rates of fetal and infant growth. I argue that the poor nutritional experience of populations subjected to colonialism resulted in a systematic loss of maternal capital, reflected in downward secular trends in stature. Accelerating the recovery of somatic capital within generations overloads metabolic capacity and exacerbates cardiovascular risk, reflected in increased disease rates in urbanizing and emigrant populations. Public health policies need to benefit metabolic capacity without exacerbating metabolic load.

Stature, Mortality, and Life History among Indigenous Populations of the Andaman Islands, 1871–1986

Despite considerable interest in the evolution of small body size, there is little evidence for changes in body size within small‐bodied human populations. This study combines anthropometric data from a number of studies of the body size of Andaman Islanders from 1871 to 1986. The colonial history of the Andaman Islands is characterized by high rates of mortality among the indigenous populations. However, long‐term conflicts between tribal groups of the Andaman Islands and British and Indian settlers led to some groups being relatively isolated and sheltered from infectious disease and the high rates of mortality that affected other groups. When temporal trends in stature are compared in this context, there is evidence for a reduction in stature among the Great Andamanese who had close contact with the British during the period of highest mortality. Adult stature among the Onge appears to have increased as government involvement diminished following Indian independence. The Jarawa, who had lower rates of ...

Stature in archeological samples from central Italy: Methodological issues and diachronic changes

Stature reconstructions from skeletal remains are usually obtained through regression equations based on the relationship between height and limb bone length. Different equations have been employed to reconstruct stature in skeletal samples, but this is the first study to provide a systematic analysis of the reliability of the different methods for Italian historical samples. Aims of this article are: 1) to analyze the reliability of different regression methods to estimate stature for populations living in Central Italy from the Iron Age to Medieval times; 2) to search for trends in stature over this time period by applying the most reliable regression method. Long bone measurements were collected from 1,021 individuals (560 males, 461 females), from 66 archeological sites for males and 54 for females. Three time periods were identified: Iron Age, Roman period, and Medieval period. To determine the most appropriate equation to reconstruct stature the Delta parameter of Gini (Memorie di metodologia statistica. Milano: Giuffre A. 1939), in which stature estimates derived from different limb bones are compared, was employed. The equations proposed by Pearson (Philos Trans R Soc London 192 (1899) 169-244) and Trotter and Gleser for Afro-Americans (Am J Phys Anthropol 10 (1952) 463-514; Am J Phys Anthropol 47 (1977) 355-356) provided the most consistent estimates when applied to our sample. We then used the equation by Pearson for further analyses. Results indicate a reduction in stature in the transition from the Iron Age to the Roman period, and a subsequent increase in the transition from the Roman period to the Medieval period. Changes of limb lengths over time were more pronounced in the distal than in the proximal elements in both limbs.

The association of grandmaternal and maternal factors with maternal adult stature.

Stature is an important determinant of several reproductive and non-reproductive health problems. Documentation of secular trends in stature has been based primarily on cross-sectional studies of special populations, primarily of men. The objective of this study is to determine how growth and socio-economic status (SES) factors relate to stature changes among lineal female relatives, maternal grandmothers to mothers. The study base was derived from a population-based intergenerational cohort which linked several statewide databases to data from the mothers' own birth certificates: the Washington State Intergenerational Cohort. Mothers in these ethnic groups were separately studied: non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics. We generated simple, partial, and multiple correlation coefficients to investigate the association between stature and other growth and SES factors. A mother's stature is determined partly by her own mother's stature and partly by her birthweight. These two measures are individually stronger predictors of stature than are several available SES factors considered in combination-grandmother's age, parity, marital status, and mother's age. The maximal multiple correlation models yielded R2 values from 18% to 28%. Growth measures are stronger predictors of intergenerational changes in stature than are the several available socio-economic factors. However, socio-economic factors are partly responsible for the level of achieved prenatal and postnatal growth. Since grandmother's stature is a determinant of mother's birthweight, which in turn is a determinant of infant birthweight, some environmentally influenced determinants of some birth outcomes are already established before a prospective mother is conceived or born.