Changes in body size, shape and nutritional status of middle-class Bengali boys of Kolkata, India, 1982--2002

Intergenerational Changes in the Waist Circumference and Selected Associated Indicators among Children and Adolescents from Kraków (Poland), between 1983 and 2020

The aim of the study was to examine the direction of the secular changes in the waist and hips circumferences, as well as selected associated body proportions, among children and adolescents from Kraków, Poland. The study group included 8-18-year-olds examined in three cross-sectional studies (1983, 2010, and 2020). The analyzed characteristics included body height, circumferences of the waist and hips, which were used to calculate Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR), and Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR). There was a secular increase regarding the majority of the analyzed features, particularly for the younger children (i.e., prepubertal/early pubertal age). The trends were also especially evident when comparing the results of the 1983 series to the results of their peers examined in 2020. An opposite trend was noted in adolescent girls. The observed changes reflect the secular trend resulting from changes in body composition and fat distribution happening due to alterations in the lifestyle and socio-economic environment of the population over the years. It should also be stressed that the increase in the studied characteristics occurred mainly in younger children. This suggests that the observed changes may have resulted from a shift in the age of maturation and also from the personal and social motivators characteristic for late adolescence.

Secular changes in the waist, hips circumferences and selected associated indicators, among preschool children from Kraków (Poland), between 1983 and 2018

OBJECTIVES

Waist circumference and derived indicators are great for measuring the risk of abdominal obesity. The main aim of the study was to assess the changes in the waist, hips circumferences and selected associated indicators, among preschool children (3-7 years of age) from Kraków, Poland, between 1983, 2008 and 2018.

METHODS

The research was conducted in randomly selected kindergarten in Krakow (Poland). The 1983 cohort consisted of 1414 children and the 2008 and 2018 series included 1050 preschoolers each. Analyzed characteristics included waist and hip circumferences, body height, waist-to-hips ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR).

RESULTS

There was a negative secular trend regarding circumferences of the hips and waist, as well as WHtR. In girls, WHR was, the greatest in the 2018 cohort, while among boys there was a secular increase in the value of this parameter compared to the 2008 cohort, but not to the 1983 series.

CONCLUSIONS

The coexistence of currently noted trends with the previously described secular decrease in the prevalence of overweight/obesity and increase in trunk adiposity in the same population, suggests that WHR is preferable to body mass index in assessing the risk associated with excess adiposity in the population examined in the presented study.

Secular changes in the anthropometrics of Chilean workers and its implication in design

BACKGROUND

Anthropometrics is very important when ensuring a physical match between end users and product or workstations.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study are twofold, to provide anthropometric data for the design of products and to examine the secular changes in the adult Chilean workers in a period of more than 20 years.

METHODS

Nineteen anthropometric measurements from two samples from 1995 and 2016 were compared using independent t-test (95% confidence interval), where additionally absolute and relative differences were calculated.

RESULTS

The secular trend observed for Stature is characterized by an increase average of 20mm and 10.5mm per decade for females and males, respectively. There is a positive secular trend for both genders, which is observed for most of the selected body measurements. The most pronounced increases were onWeight, Shoulder breadth, Body mass index, Popliteal height; Buttock-popliteal length and Hip width.

CONCLUSIONS

Segmental dimensions that experienced a positive secular trend, together with Weight and Stature, are highly correlated with seating design, addressing the need to review products targeting Chilean adult workers, such as public transport seats, office furniture or industrial workplaces.

The pace of secular changes of body measurements of children and adolescents from Kolkata (India) in the context of socioeconomic inequalities between the sexes

OBJECTIVES

To examine the pace of secular changes of selected body measurements and proportions of children and adolescents from Kolkata (India), between 1952-1966 and 1999-2011 in the context of differences between the sexes.

METHODS

The study group consisted of 7753 children, adolescents and young adults (7-21 years of age) included in two series of studies (1952-1966 and 2005-2011). The measurements included: body height, sitting height, biacromial and biiliocristal diameters, as well as body mass. Additionally, subishial leg length was derived. The pace of the observed intergenerational trends was estimated on the basis of the differences of the mean values of the analyzed characteristics between both cohorts and expressed as the change of a given parameter for a decade. Information regarding the educational and professional status of the parents of participants was obtained using a questionnaire.

RESULTS

In the majority of the analyzed characteristics, the pace of intergenerational changes was significantly higher among males, in comparison to females. It was visible especially during adolescence-between 11 and 19 years of age. The positive trends, especially, for characteristics such as body height or limb lengths occurred significantly quicker in males, in comparison to females.

CONCLUSIONS

There were significant differences between the sexes in the pace of secular changes regarding the growth of the examined population. Considering the relatively homogenous economic situation of the families of the participants, it was more likely that those discrepancies effected from the social and domestic division of sexes, and the resulting differences in growth and development conditions.

Time trends in mid-upper-arm anthropometry from 1982 to 2011 in male children and adolescents from Kolkata, India

The aim of this study was to investigate inter-generational changes in selected mid-upper-arm measurements of boys from Kolkata, India. The analysis was based on the anthropometric measurements of two cohorts of Bengali boys aged 7-16 from middle-class families, in 1982-83 and 2005-11. The two cohorts were compared in terms of their mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) and mid-upper-arm area (MUAA), mid-upper-arm muscle area (MUAMA), mid-upper-arm fat area (MUAFA) and Arm Fat Index (AFI). The significances of the differences were determined using two-way ANOVA. All features differed significantly between the examined cohorts and all showed a general positive secular trend. In most cases, the biggest differences were noted for 14- and 16-year olds and the smallest for the youngest boys. The contemporary boys seemed to have more favourable overall developmental conditions, probably related to socioeconomic progress in India over recent decades.

The relationship between adult height and diabetes in India: A countrywide cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

One major aspect of the epidemiological transition happening in India is the increased diabetes prevalence. Poor environmental conditions in early childhood potentially can increase the risk of developing diabetes in adulthood. Adults' height as an indirect indicator might reflect such conditions. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between adult height as a proxy for early childhood conditions and the risk of developing diabetes in India.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used national representative data of the latest National Family Health Survey (2015-2016), comprising 512 616 women aged 20 to 49 and 87 281 men aged 20 to 54. We applied the multivariable fractional polynomials approach in logistic regression models to allow for nonlinear relationships between height and diabetes, separated by sex. Additionally, we fitted logistic regression models with height categories. Fixed effects linear probability models were used to control for potential confounding.

RESULTS

The study revealed a linear relationship between increasing height and increasing diabetes risk among men. Among women, the shortest were at the highest risk (not significant).

CONCLUSIONS

Among Indian men, being taller increases the risk of developing diabetes, which contradicts findings from other countries. In contrast, the shortest women seem to be at the greatest risk. Hence, public health interventions in India might be well advised to focus more on the nutrition status of young girls.

Secular changes in limb lengths and proportions from 1952 to 2011 in children, adolescents, and young adults from Kolkata (India)

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to investigate the intergenerational changes of upper and lower limb lengths as well as the values of the upper, lower limb, and intermembral indicators of children, adolescents, and young adults from Kolkata (India) between 1952 to 1966 and 2005 to 2011.

METHODS

The analysis was based on the results of anthropometric measurements of 7488 Bengali children, adolescents, and young adults. They were included in three cross-sectional surveys, carried out in 1955 to 1966, 1982 to 1983 (only males), and 2005 to 2011. The upper and lower limb lengths were obtained and the upper and lower limb indicators, as well as an intermembral index, were calculated. The differences between the cohorts were assessed using two-way ANOVA.

RESULTS

Positive, statistically significant, secular trends regarding the length of the lower and upper limbs as well as the value of the lower limb index were observed. Negative intergenerational changes were noted for the values of the upper limb indicator and intermembral index, suggesting that the secular increase of the length of the upper limbs was less pronounced than those of the body height and lower limbs length.

CONCLUSIONS

The secular increase regarding the lower limbs length was associated with the socioeconomic progress of the country, but the length of the upper limbs was less sensitive for those factors. It is also important to mention that there is still very little information on those characteristics in general, which further proves the need for similar studies.

Surname-inferred Andean ancestry is associated with child stature and limb lengths at high altitude in Peru, but not at sea level

OBJECTIVES

Native Andean ancestry gives partial protection from reduced birthweight at high altitude in the Andes compared with European ancestry. Whether Andean ancestry is also associated with body proportions and greater postnatal body size at altitude is unknown. Therefore, we tested whether a greater proportion of Andean ancestry is associated with stature and body proportions among Peruvian children at high and low altitude.

METHODS

Height, head circumference, head-trunk height, upper and lower limb lengths, and tibia, ulna, hand and foot lengths, were measured in 133 highland and 169 lowland children aged 6 months to 8.5 years. For highland and lowland groups separately, age-sex-adjusted anthropometry z scores were regressed on the number of indigenous parental surnames as a proxy for Andean ancestry, adjusting for potential confounders (maternal age and education, parity, altitude [highlands only]).

RESULTS

Among highland children, greater Andean ancestry was negatively associated with stature and tibia, ulna, and lower limb lengths, independent of negative associations with greater altitude for these measurements. Relationships were strongest for tibia length: each additional Andean surname or 1,000 m increase at altitude among highland children was associated with 0.18 and 0.65 z score decreases in tibia length, respectively. Anthropometry was not significantly associated with ancestry among lowland children.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater Andean ancestry is associated with shorter stature and limb measurements at high but not low altitude. Gene-environment interactions between high altitude and Andean ancestry may exacerbate the trade-off between chest dimensions and stature that was proposed previously, though we could not test this directly.

Childhood dual burden of under- and overnutrition in low- and middle-income countries: a critical review

BACKGROUND

In low- and middle-income countries, the distribution of childhood nutritional diseases is shifting from a predominance of undernutrition to a dual burden of under- and overnutrition. This novel and complex problem challenges governments and health organizations to tackle opposite ends of the malnutrition spectrum. The dual burden may manifest within a community, household, or individual, but these different levels have not been addressed collectively.

OBJECTIVE

To critically review literature on the prevalence, trends, and predictors of the dual burden, with a focus on children from birth to 18 years of age.

METHODS

We reviewed literature since January 1, 1990, published in English, using the PubMed search terms nutrition transition, double burden, dual burden, nutrition status, obesity, overweight, underweight, stunting, body composition, and micronutrient deficiencies. The findings were classified and described according to dual burden level (community, household, or individual).

RESULTS

Global trends indicate decreases in diseases of undernutrition, while overnutrition is increasing. On the community level, economic status may influence the extent of the dual burden, with obesity increasingly affecting the already undernourished poor. In a household, shared determinants of poor nutritional status among members can result in disparate nutritional status across generations. Within an individual, obesity may co-occur with stunting or anemia due to shared underlying determinants or physiologic links.

CONCLUSIONS

The dual burden of malnutrition poses a threat to children's health in low- and middle-income countries. We must remain committed to reducing undernutrition while simultaneously preventing over-nutrition through integrated child health programs that incorporate prevention of infection, diet quality, and physical activity.

Adult obesity: panel study from native Amazonians

This paper examines three morphological indicators measuring obesity among a native Amazonian population of foragers-farmers in Bolivia (Tsimane') and estimates the associations between them and standard covariates of obesity (e.g., socioeconomic status [SES]). We collected annual data from 350 non-pregnant women and 385 men ≥20 years of age from all 311 households in 13 villages during five consecutive years (2002-2006). We used three indicators to measure obesity: body-mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BF-BIA). We ran separate individual random-effect panel multiple regressions for women and men with wealth, acculturation, health, and household food availability as key covariates, and controlled for village and year fixed effects and village×year interaction effects. Although BMI increases by a statistically significant annual growth rate of 0.64% among women and 0.37% among men over the five years, the increase does not yield significant biological meanings. Neither do we find consistent and biologically meaningful covariates associated with adult obesity.

Adult stature, body proportions and age at menarche in the United States National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) III

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have found that age at menarche is associated with stature, primarily via leg length. However, the effects appear to vary by population and/or time period. Improving socioeconomic conditions might amplify the association.

AIM

To test whether the association between early menarche and reduced stature in industrialized countries is mediated by leg length. To further test whether these effects are modified by years of education, as a proxy for socioeconomic conditions.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The study used data on from 3174 21-40 year-old women who participated in the third National Health and Nutrition Survey of the US (NHANES III). The anthropometric measurements employed were stature, sitting height and upper leg length. Leg length, lower leg length and ratio of sitting height to leg length were calculated.

RESULTS

Earlier menarche was associated with shorter stature, by ~ 3.9 mm per year of advancement, all of which was attributable to shorter leg length. Almost two-thirds of the effect was in the lower (distal) leg. Years of education did not significantly modify effects of pubertal timing on stature or body proportions.

CONCLUSION

Socioeconomic conditions might not explain variable associations between linear body proportions and pubertal timing.

The "childhood obesity epidemic": health crisis or social construction?

There has been a meteoric rise over the past two decades in the medical research and media coverage of the so-called global childhood obesity epidemic. Recently, in response to this phenomenon, there has been a spate of books and articles in the fields of critical sociology and cultural studies that have argued that this "epidemic" is socially constructed, what Natalie Boero (2007) dubs a "postmodern epidemic." As an anthropologist who has studied child nutrition and obesity in relation to poverty and the school environment, I am concerned about both the lack of reflexivity among medical researchers as well as critical scholars' treatment of the problem as entirely socially constructed. In this article I present both sides of this debate and then discuss how wee can attempt to navigate a middle course that recognizes this health issue but also offers alternative approaches to those set by the biomedical agenda.

Leg length, body proportion, and health: a review with a note on beauty

Decomposing stature into its major components is proving to be a useful strategy to assess the antecedents of disease, morbidity and death in adulthood. Human leg length (femur + tibia), sitting height (trunk length + head length) and their proportions, for example, (leg length/stature), or the sitting height ratio (sitting height/stature x 100), among others) are associated with epidemiological risk for overweight (fatness), coronary heart disease, diabetes, liver dysfunction and certain cancers. There is also wide support for the use of relative leg length as an indicator of the quality of the environment for growth during infancy, childhood and the juvenile years of development. Human beings follow a cephalo-caudal gradient of growth, the pattern of growth common to all mammals. A special feature of the human pattern is that between birth and puberty the legs grow relatively faster than other post-cranial body segments. For groups of children and youth, short stature due to relatively short legs (i.e., a high sitting height ratio) is generally a marker of an adverse environment. The development of human body proportions is the product of environmental x genomic interactions, although few if any specific genes are known. The HOXd and the short stature homeobox-containing gene (SHOX) are genomic regions that may be relevant to human body proportions. For example, one of the SHOX related disorders is Turner syndrome. However, research with non-pathological populations indicates that the environment is a more powerful force influencing leg length and body proportions than genes. Leg length and proportion are important in the perception of human beauty, which is often considered a sign of health and fertility.