American Journal of Human Biology最新文献

Background: Childhood height is commonly used to measure children's health and nutritional status. It is used to define stunting, where a child is considered stunted if their height is shorter than two standard deviations below the Child Growth Standards median. Studies have shown that genetic and environmental factors contribute to childhood height, so understanding these contributions is important for stunting research. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the contribution of these factors across study designs and ancestries.

Methods: A systematic search found 28 twin and 26 family studies spanning from birth to 17 years. We identified 162 293 twin, 380 195 parent-offspring, and 19 965 sibling pairs born between 1929 and 2004. These datasets were meta-analyzed using a random effects model. The review is registered in PROSPERO (ID CRD42023432550).

Results: The estimated heritability (h²) of height from twin design increased from birth to 17 years. For children under 5 years, the estimated heritability was 0.57 (95%CI, 0.52-0.61) for European, 0.48 (0.39-0.57) for Asian, and 0.46 (0.40-0.51) for multi ancestries. Heritability estimated from parent-offspring design was 0.46 (95%CI, 0.28-0.62) at birth and 0.76 (95%CI, 0.70-0.80) at 17 years. Meanwhile, the estimated heritability from sibling design remained constant across ages at 0.70 (95%CI, 0.52-0.83).

Conclusions: The heritability estimates of childhood height were slightly higher in European ancestries, but in general, they did not significantly differ across ancestry groups. While the shared environmental effects on height peak in early childhood, the estimated heritability increase in late teens. Unique environmental factors play a small, but significant role throughout childhood.

Objective: Whether or not an athlete plays with sports equipment in their hands may influence handgrip strength (HGS) changes during development, but longitudinal studies have not confirmed this. This study compared one-year HGS changes between two sports types (soccer vs. kendo) in children and adolescent athletes.

Methods: One hundred sixty-eight young athletes (86 kendo boys and 82 soccer boys) had two HGS measurements separated by 1 year. A 2 (sports) by 2 (timepoints 1 and 2) repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine whether HGS changed differently between sports.

Results: There was no evidence for a sport × time interaction in HGS (p = 0.14); however, the mean difference and 95% CI were in the direction of favoring a greater change in kendo athletes [difference of 0.6 (95% CI: -0.2, 1.5) kg]. There was a main effect of time and sport. Kendo athletes had a 4.6 (95% CI: 1.8, 7.5) kg greater HGS than soccer athletes. There was no evidence that the change in HGS between sports depended on the initial age of the athlete (p = 0.205).

Conclusion: Using sports equipment during play may positively affect HGS.

Objective: The practice of anthropometry in schools at the beginning of the 20th century originated in Europe and Latin America in conjunction with the emergence of hygienism and epidemiological auxology. The aim of this work is to deepen the knowledge of these practices in Spain and Argentina and to compare the available growth data in order to identify possible differences between the populations.

Methods: The anthropometric data of 1693 boys and girls aged 7-15 years (877 Spanish; 816 Argentinean) from the period between 1903 and 1913 were analyzed. The data were taken from the Reports and Memoirs of the School Colonies of the National Pedagogical Museum (Spain) and the Archives of Pedagogy and Related Sciences of the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the National University of La Plata (UNLP) (Argentina).

Results: The most pronounced differences in weight and height were observed between the ages of 11 and 12. The weight growth of Spanish schoolchildren was 22% (boys) and 24% (girls) lower than that of their Argentine counterparts, while linear growth was about 7% lower for both sexes. In addition, the Spanish had a lower body mass index up to the age of 12 years.

Conclusions: Argentine boys and girls of La Plata were taller and heavier than their Spanish counterparts of Madrid during the same period (between 1903 and 1913). These results can be attributed to the higher standard of living that characterized the Argentine population at that time.

Introduction: There is evidence that alcohol consumption is influenced by prenatal sex steroids (as measured by digit ratio [2D:4D]). Here, we clarify the effect size of the relationship in a student (rather than a patient) population.

Methods: There were 258 (169 women) participants. Digit length was measured directly with calipers. Alcohol use was evaluated by the Polish version of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and operationalized as total AUDIT scores and grams of alcohol/week.

Results: Digit ratios were sexually dimorphic (males < females). There were negative correlations between right 2D:4D and Dr-l (right 2D:4D minus left 2D:4D) and AUDIT scores and grams of alcohol/week in both sexes. Relationships varied from small (r = -0.29) to large (r = -0.69) and they were stronger in males in comparison to females and for right 2D:4D in comparison to Dr-l. In males only, there were small (r = 0.21) to moderate (r = 0.31) positive associations with body size (height, weight, and mean right digit length) and alcohol consumption. Multiple regression analyses showed relationships between digit ratios remained significant but those for body size did not.

Conclusion: Alcohol consumption was negatively related to 2D:4D, suggesting high prenatal testosterone and low prenatal estrogen are linked to its consumption. Correlations varied in strength from small to large with the strongest found for right 2D:4D and for males. Positive relationships between body size and alcohol were small to moderate, confined to males, and were not independent of digit ratios. Prenatal androgenization may influence alcohol drinking patterns in non-clinical individuals.

Objectives: This study examined long-term changes in body composition and bone mineral characteristics among male long-distance runners from a high-profile university team, focusing on concerns about impaired musculoskeletal development due to extreme leanness and weight management practices in this population.

Methods: Trajectory analyses were performed using multilevel modeling of 608 dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry datasets from 109 runners (mean age, height, and weight of 18.0 years, 171.4 cm, and 56.8 kg at baseline, respectively) collected biannually over 4 years.

Results: Linear increases in total and regional lean mass (LM) were observed on average, with the increase in leg LM being double that of arm LM (0.07 vs. 0.03 kg per occasion, respectively). Similarly, total bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC) exhibited linear growth on average, with BMD accrual being greater in the legs than in the arms (0.004 vs. 0.001 g/cm² per occasion, respectively). However, rib BMD and BMC were predicted to decrease. Individually predicted growth rates in total LM were significantly associated with those in total BMD (r = 0.347, p < 0.001) and BMC (r = 0.424, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: These results indicate site-specific musculoskeletal adaptations to intensive long-distance running training. Moreover, a random slope model accurately captured the trajectories of most dependent variables, highlighting the heterogeneity of training responses. The predictive models developed in this study offer practical strategies for identifying runners at risk of suboptimal physical development, thereby facilitating the development of personalized conditioning programs.

Objectives: Northern Japanese children tend to have larger physiques; however, the underlying cause remains unknown. Previous geographical correlation analyses revealed an unusual trend; effective day length was negatively correlated with height and positively correlated with weight (adjusted for height). This paradoxical relationship suggests a thyroid hormone-like effect and possible photoperiodic response. This study aimed to determine whether this phenomenon remains consistent over time and across different regions of Japan.

Methods: We used geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) to examine whether the relationship between height and effective day length, which differs from the relationship between weight and effective day length, varies by location and time. GTWR models each observation point separately, allowing for spatial and temporal variations. The analysis included the average height and weight data of children and adolescents by prefecture from 1989 to 2019, along with effective day length considering illuminance above 5000 lx derived from the agrometeorological grid square data.

Results: Height was used as the dependent variable, whereas weight and effective day length were used as independent variables. For height estimation, the coefficients of weight and effective day length were consistently positive and negative, respectively, although the regression coefficients showed minor geographical and temporal variations.

Conclusion: The opposite correlation between height and effective day length and that between weight and effective day length were consistent. This suggests that the phenomenon is more likely driven by environmental factors than by economic or genetic influences.

Objectives: The trend in declining age at menarche (AAM) largely continues while body size increases globally. The aim was to investigate trends in AAM, menstrual characteristics, and post-menarcheal anthropometric parameters in adolescents living in an urban area in Türkiye between 1999 and 2018.

Methods: Female adolescent high school students in the Manisa region were asked about menarche and socioeconomic status (SES). There were 1017 girls in the first study (1999-2001) and 1304 (2016-2018) in the second study. Height and weight were measured. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Adolescent girls were grouped into three socioeconomic status (SES) groups based on parental education and occupation, and all parameters were evaluated using SES.

Results: The mean ± standard deviation for AAM in the first period was 12.82 ± 1.07 years and 12.83 ± 0.9 years in the second. AAM did not differ between the two periods nor between SES groups in either period. Post-menarcheal height, weight, and BMI increased in the second period compared to the first study and across all SES groups (p < 0.05). The whole group AAM was similar in both periods, only 3 months earlier in the second period than in the first period. However, the AAM in girls with a post-menarcheal BMI indicating being overweight or obese was significantly earlier than that of those with a normal post-menarcheal BMI in both periods (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Despite changing sociodemographic characteristics and an increasing trend in height, weight, and BMI in all socioeconomic groups, no change was observed in mean AAM in an urban region of Western Türkiye over 18 years. While the inverse relationship between BMI and postmenarcheal BMI continued in both periods, the decline in AAM became more pronounced over the years in the presence of high postmenarcheal BMI.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess changes in waist and hip circumference, as well as the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) indices among adolescents (11-15-year-olds) from the Kraków during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Cross-sectional studies were conducted in four main districts of the city in the years 2020 and 2022. The study group consisted of 1662 people. Measurements of height, waist circumference, and hip circumference were taken. The collected data were used to calculate the WHR and WHtR indices. Statistical analyses were performed using two-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey's test, as well as the Kruskal-Wallis test, depending on the normality of distribution.

Results: An increase in hip circumference was observed in most age groups of both sexes. Among 14-15-year-old boys, an increase in waist circumference was observed, while among girls, the majority of cohorts showed the opposite trend. Additionally, in most age groups, a decrease in the values of WHR and WHtR indices was observed in both sexes, except for boys aged 14-15.

Conclusion: The study found that government-imposed restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on waist circumference, hip circumference, WHR, and WHtR indicators among adolescents aged 11-15 from Kraków. While some results showed regression, suggesting potential factors such as reduced physical activity or increased screen time contributing to deteriorating outcomes. On the other hand, not all results changed, which may be attributed to the absence of modifications in dietary habits or physical activity as government restrictions ceased.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the lasting effects of stress experienced by pregnant women during World War II (WWII) on body and head measurements of their adult daughters.

Methods: The research sample consists of 336 female university students born in Poland between 1925 and 1951. The data include body measurements and socioeconomic information (parental occupation and number of siblings) acquired from questionnaires collected between the 1950s and 1970s. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test and Analysis of Variance were used to analyze differences in body measurements between groups of women born before and during the war, as well as the possible influences of socioeconomic variables.

Results: The mean measurements of body height, symphysion height, and waist circumference were lower in women conceived and born during the war compared to those born in the pre-war period. In contrast, the mean measurements of biacromial (shoulder) width, trunk length, and three head dimensions were higher in women conceived and born during the war. Additionally, the number of siblings appeared to be a significant factor that may have influenced the body measurements of women in both groups. For instance, a higher number of living siblings, particularly sisters, was associated with reduced body dimensions, such as body height and waist circumference, while a greater number of deceased siblings was linked to an increase in certain body dimensions.

Conclusion: The results suggest that war-related prenatal conditions may have influenced the postnatal growth and development of women conceived and born during the war. Notably, the direction of these changes varied, which indicates that the growth response to the war-related conditions was a complex adaptation, reflecting both positive and negative changes in different body parts, rather than a uniform pattern of growth suppression.