Comparison of the results of the use of chronological and skeletal (biological) ages as grouping factors in inter-population morphological studies of children and adolescents
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Mokhovaya st., 11, Moscow, 125009, Russia, Batsevich Valery A. , Stepanova Alevtina V. ,   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Mokhovaya st., 11, Moscow, 125009, Russia, Kalyuzhny Evgeny A. ,   Privolzhsky Research Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Minin and Pozharsky’re square, 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005, Russia
Published: November 2022

Introduction. In anthropological and medical practice, in most cases, the method of grouping individuals by chronological age is used in comparative age studies. A number of authors spoke about the need for a different approach to children of the same calendar age and taking into account the level of their morphophysiological development. [Deryabin, 2004]. In this paper, the comparison of age morphological characteristics in the studied groups was carried out using both chronological and biological (skeletal) ages as grouping factors. Materials and methods. Comparative studies were conducted in the combined group of Khalkha Mongols, Turkmens of G. Chardjev, Bashkirs of Beloretsky and Abzelilovsky districts and Chuvash of Yadrin district. The age range of the examined was 7-17 years. The Tanner-Whitehouse method (TW-2) was used to determine individual values of skeletal maturity. The following features were included and analyzed in the analysis: body length, body weight, leg length, shoulder and pelvic diameters, chest girth, the size of the average fat fold, the size of the epiphyses of the forearm and thigh. The body mass index, as well as the chest index and body surface area were calculated. All anthropometric studies were carried out according to a unified methodology within the framework of the standard program adopted at the Moscow State University Research Institute of Anthropology [Bunak, 1941]. Mathematical processing of the data used was carried out using computer programs "Statistica" (versions 5-10) (StatSoft, USA) and "Microsoft Excel". Results and discussion. Estimates of the temporal variability of skeletal age relative to chronological age were carried out in each of the presented groups. The changes in the rates of ontogenesis in different periods of maturation, differing in magnitude, orientation, time of onset and intensity, have been established. Sex differences were found for a number of morphological features when comparing samples by chronological and skeletal ages as grouping factors. It is shown that the main differences between the compared groups by morphological characteristics are associated with the rate of maturation of children and adolescents, as well as the presence of adaptive characteristics formed under the influence of climatic and geographical environmental factors. Conclusion. The use of biological age as a grouping factor is desirable and necessary for an adequate comparison of groups with different rates of ontogenesis and acceleration of development, changing under the influence of environmental factors.