Body height and age at menarche of girls from eastern Poland in the period of political transformation

Changes in the adiposity level and prevalence of overweight/obesity among children from Kraków (Poland) within the last decade (from 2010 to 2020)

The aim of this study was to assess the changes in the prevalence of overweight, obesity and high adiposity in children and adolescents from Krakow (Poland), between the years 2010 and 2020. Two cross-sectional series of anthropometric measurements were carried out in 2010 and 2020. Analysed characteristics included: body height and weight, BMI (Body Mass Index), body adiposity (%BF). The subjects were categorised according to their BMI (underweight, normal weight, overweight, obesity), as well as %BF (low, normal, high body fat).The research was conducted in randomly selected primary schools in Krakow (Poland). Studied cohorts (8-15 years of age), which represented four of the traditional residential districts: Śródmieście, Podgórze, Krowodrza and Nowa Huta. Among the girls, there was a negative secular trend regarding the prevalence of underweight and obesity. On the other hand, there also was a positive trend concerning the prevalence of overweight and low and high body fat. In boys, there was a negative secular trend regarding the prevalence of underweight and low adiposity. There was also a generally positive secular trend regarding the prevalence of overweight, obesity as well as high adiposity in boys. The findings of this study are particularly significant because detailed knowledge of the prevalence of overweight/obesity in childhood and adolescence is crucial for the future health of entire populations. Further studies should also take into account the levels of physical fitness and activity of the examined population.

Reducing socioeconomic differences in anthropometric characteristics among young Polish women

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the socioeconomic differences in adult anthropometric parameters of young women in Poland. The study was cross-sectional and conducted in the years 2015 to 2018 among 1257 women aged 19-24 years. The heights, weights, wrist widths and waist, hip and chest circumferences of the subjects were measured. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist-to-chest ratio (WCR) and chest-to-height ratio (CHtR) were calculated. A survey was conducted to collect data on the women's socioeconomic characteristics. The application of the Generalized Linear Model (GLM) including all socioeconomic indicators (urbanization level of place of residence in childhood, parental education, number of siblings, material conditions) revealed no significant association of these with any of the analysed anthropometric traits. The results of the logistic regression showed no significant differences in the risk of underweight, too low abdominal adiposity or too high abdominal adiposity. However, the risk of overweight and obesity was significantly affected by the degree of urbanization of the women's place of residence in childhood and by their number of siblings. The results show that the socioeconomic factors that once had a significant influence on anthropometric traits currently do not play such an important role. This change can be explained by the equalization of living conditions and lifestyles of individual social groups in Poland.

Secular trend and social gradients in the menarcheal age of girls from eastern Poland between 1986 and 2016

The age at menarche is changing together with the development of society. The intensities of secular trends vary in different countries, regions or even towns and villages. Therefore, the objective of the paper was to assess the changes of the menarcheal age of girls in groups defined by different levels of parental education and the number of children in a family as well as the general index of socioeconomic status. The paper utilises the results of research conducted in the years 1985–1986, 2005–2006 and 2015–2016, covering 11 671 girls aged 10–16 from eastern provinces of Poland. Information about the date of birth, the date of the first period, place of residence, fathers’ and mothers’ education and the number of children in a family was collected. Research material was divided into groups stratified by mother’s education, father’s education, number of children in a family, size of place of residence and the general index of socioeconomic status (SES) was calculated. The results were processed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Newman-Keuls method.

In all the assessed groups of girls the acceleration of maturation has been observed. Greater socio-economic differences of the menarcheal age of the respondents were observed in the years 1986–2006, whereas in the years 2006–2016 the differences were smaller. During the assessed period of 30 years, the most intensive acceleration in menarche was observed in the lowest social strata, i.e. in the daughters of parents with primary or vocational education, in those from the largest families and in those who were included in the group with the lowest SES point values. The lowest acceleration in the described indicator of development was found in girls from families with one or two children, whose parents had higher education degrees and the highest SES values.

The assessed schoolgirls still demonstrate the existence of social gradients in the menarcheal age but the gradients are smaller than 30 years ago.

Changes in the Growth and Development of Adolescents in a Country in Socio-Economic Transition 1993-2013

Introduction

Changes in human growth and development depend on genetic and environmental factors. In the case of Slovenia, the environmental factors changed as a result of the period of socio-economic transition that the country underwent between 1991 and 2013. The authors used anthropometric techniques to evaluate differences in body height, proportions and sexual maturity in 1,221 adolescents aged 14 in 1993, 2003 and 2013.

Methods

Data was collected as a part of the ACDSi study, which has monitored children’s somatic growth and motor development every decade over the last 40 years.

Results

Between 1993 and 2013, a trend (p=0.08) towards increased body height was observed in males. The comparison of age at peak height velocity (PHV) between generations demonstrated a trend (p=0.07) of earlier entry into puberty in adolescents in 2013 compared to those in 1993. The leg-to-body height ratio increased (p<0.05) with every decade in males, while in females it decreased (p<0.05) in 2013. Similar trends were observed in the leg-to-trunk ratio. Contemporary generations experienced PHV at a younger age (p<0.05), which is true for both genders even in adolescents born no more than two decades (1993 (2013) apart. In both generations, females experienced PHV sooner than their male peers.

Conclusion

The authors assume that females of the 2013 generation reached puberty earlier than females of older generations. It is most likely that, unlike females from older generations and unlike males, they were already at the stage of trunk growth at the time of the measurements, which explains the observed changes in their trunk length, leg-to-body height and leg-to-trunk ratios in comparison to earlier generations.

CHD7 gene polymorphisms in female patients with idiopathic scoliosis

BACKGROUND

The CHD7 (chromosome domain helicase DNA binding protein 7) gene has been associated with familial idiopathic scoliosis (IS) in families of European descent. The CHD7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms have never been studied in Polish Caucasian IS patients.

METHODS

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of CHD7 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to or progression of IS in Polish Caucasian females. The study group comprised 211 females who underwent clinical, radiological and genetic examination. The study group was analyzed in three subgroups according to: (1) Cobb angle (Cobb angle ≤30° vs. Cobb angle ≥35°), (2) age of diagnosis (adolescent IS vs. early-onset IS) and (3) rate of progression (non-progressive vs. slowly progressive vs. rapidly progressive IS). The control group comprised 83 females with no scoliosis and with a negative family history who underwent clinical and genetic examination. In total six CHD7 gene polymorphisms were examined. Three polymorphisms (rs1017861, rs13248429, and rs4738813) were examined by RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis, and three were quantified by Sanger sequencing (rs78874766, rs4738824, and rs74797613).

RESULTS

In rs13248429, rs78874766, and rs74797613 polymorphisms only the wild allele was present. The rs1017861 polymorphism demonstrated an association with IS susceptibility (p < 0.01). Two polymorphisms, rs1017861 and rs4738813, were associated with curve severity and progression rate (p < 0.05). None of the evaluated polymorphisms in CHD7 gene showed any association with the age of IS onset.

CONCLUSIONS

The polymorphism rs1017861 in CHD7 gene showed an association with IS susceptibility. Two polymorphisms (rs1017861 and rs4738813) were associated with curve severity and progression rate. None of the evaluated polymorphisms in CHD7 gene showed any association with the age of IS onset. Further evaluation of CHD7 gene should be considered as IS modifying factor.

Changes in the prevalence of overweight/obesity and adiposity among pre-school children in Kraków, Poland, from 2008 to 2018

Socioeconomic changes occurring over time influence the lifestyle choices of a population, and these can significantly affect children’s body weight and composition. The aim of this study was to assess the changes in prevalence of overweight, obesity and adiposity in pre-school children in Poland between 2008 and 2018. Body height, body weight and subscapular and triceps skinfolds were measured in 2167 children aged 3–7 years from Kraków. Body mass index and adiposity (percentage body fat, %BF) were calculated for the children, who were then categorized as underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese according to Cole’s cut-off points. Adiposity was categorized according to the z-scores for %BF as low (<−1), normal (−1 to 1) or high (>1). Differences between cohorts were analysed using the chi-squared test. Only the decrease in the prevalence of obesity in 5-year-old girls was found to be statistically significant. However, some overall tendencies were noted. Decreases in the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity were observed for both sexes, as well as in the incidence of high adiposity in boys and low adiposity in girls. Increases in the prevalence of high adiposity in girls and low adiposity in boys were also noted. There was no significant change in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among pre-school children over the study decade, and the visible tendencies included decreases in the prevalence of excess body weight and adiposity as well as underweight and low body fat. Also, the visible trends in adiposity were mostly negative. Further studies should, however, also consider the levels of physical fitness and activity of children, as these have a crucial influence on the measured characteristics.