Alessio Fornasin, Marco Breschi, Matteo Manfredini
{"title":"Chest circumference and structural and short-term changes: a study of the Italian military call-up registers from 1881 to 1909.","authors":"Alessio Fornasin, Marco Breschi, Matteo Manfredini","doi":"10.1080/19485565.2023.2179475","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The aim of this study is to demonstrate the utility of chest circumference measurements as a proxy for the socioeconomic characteristics of past populations. Our analysis is based on over 80,000 military medical examinations relating to Friuli (north-eastern Italy), recorded from 1881 to 1909. Chest circumference can be used to describe changes in standard of living, but also seasonal variations in food intakes and physical activities. The findings show the way in which these measurements are highly sensitive not only to long-term economic changes but, above all, to short-term variations in some economic and social elements, like corn prices and occupations.</p>","PeriodicalId":45428,"journal":{"name":"Biodemography and Social Biology","volume":"68 1","pages":"3-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9000,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Biodemography and Social Biology","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19485565.2023.2179475","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"DEMOGRAPHY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The aim of this study is to demonstrate the utility of chest circumference measurements as a proxy for the socioeconomic characteristics of past populations. Our analysis is based on over 80,000 military medical examinations relating to Friuli (north-eastern Italy), recorded from 1881 to 1909. Chest circumference can be used to describe changes in standard of living, but also seasonal variations in food intakes and physical activities. The findings show the way in which these measurements are highly sensitive not only to long-term economic changes but, above all, to short-term variations in some economic and social elements, like corn prices and occupations.
期刊介绍:
Biodemography and Social Biology is the official journal of The Society for the Study of Social Biology, devoted to furthering the discussion, advancement, and dissemination of knowledge about biological and sociocultural forces affecting the structure and composition of human populations. This interdisciplinary publication features contributions from scholars in the fields of sociology, demography, psychology, anthropology, biology, genetics, criminal justice, and others. Original manuscripts that further knowledge in the area of social biology are welcome, along with brief reports, review articles, and book reviews.