bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reduction in birth weight associated with smoking among young and older‐age women
Authors: Frisancho A. Roberto , Smith Shelley L.
Published: June 2005

This study examined the combined effects of maternal smoking and maternal age on birth weight. A sample of 1,851 white, full‐term infants (37 to 42 weeks) born to primiparous mothers ranging in age from 18 to 41 years was derived from the database of the Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS), available through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The mothers were classified into three age groups—young, middle‐aged, and older‐aged—corresponding respectively to values below the 15th, between the 15th and 85th, and at or above the 85th percentile of age.

Analyses of the data show that the reduction in birth weight associated with maternal smoking when compared with nonsmoking averaged 181 gm for the young group (18 to 20 years), 162 gm for the middle‐aged group (21 to 29 years), and 154 gm for the older‐aged group (30 to 41 years). These differences are independent of total income. Hence it appears that the birth weight–reducing effect of smoking is not enhanced among women of older reproductive ages (30 to 41 years). Furthermore, the reduction in birth weight is dose responsive. That is, the greater the number of cigarettes smoked per day, the lower is the resulting mean birth weight and the higher is the proportion of low‐birth‐weight infants.
Dynamic and static measures of growth among pre‐ and postmenarcheal females in rural Bangladesh
Authors: Riley Ann P.
Published: June 2005

Height and weight for age and height and weight velocity are examined in a sample of Bangladeshi adolescents aged 10–20 years with an average age at menarche of 15.8 years. Interpopulation differences between pre‐ and postmenarcheal girls are assessed and age patterns are compared to standards of U.S. and British adolescents. Bangladeshi adolescents are shorter and lighter for their age and lighter for their height than are U.S. adolescents. The growth spurt in height and weight is delayed and spread out over time, and growth rates are lower throughout the spurt when compared to British and U.S. girls. As in developed countries, most girls attain menarche after peak height velocity, while weight gain per year is highest around the time of menarche. There is no significant relationship between age at menarche and height or weight at menarche.
Introduction
Authors: Frisancho A. Roberto
Published: June 2005

A basic premise of studies conducted in the 1950s and 1960s was that humans exhibited a uniform set of biological responses to the high altitude environment. Since then, investigations have been carried out in the North American Rockies, South American Andes, and the Himalayas by researchers from a variety of disciplines—biological anthropology, respiratory physiology, cardiology, hematology, and nutrition. These studies have contributed important insights for understanding the mechanisms involved in adaptation to high altitude and have revealed possible differences in the strategies of adaptation exhibited by the world's various high altitude populations. However, the findings have sometimes been slow to percolate across disciplinary boundaries, given the tradition among the biological sciences to conduct research and present findings in specialized groupings. This symposium breaks this pattern by bringing together from several disciplines investigators who are actively involved in the conduct of high altitude studies. The interaction afforded enables us to realize that understanding the process of human adaptation to high altitude requires a holistic approach whereby the expertise of various scientific disciplines needs to be utilized in a synchronized and integrated manner.
Report on the natural interruption of pregnancy related to menarche in the population of Madrid
Authors: Prado Consuelo
Published: June 2005

All cases of spontaneous abortion which were registered between June 1982 and June 1984 in the Ciudad Sanitaria de la Paz have been studied in Madrid (n = 1,259). Together with the women who had miscarriages, a control sample of women (n = 1,016) of similar socioeconomic status and ages was analyzed. The main aim of this study is the analysis of the link between the age of menarche and the incidence of miscarriage, as well as morphological characteristics of women. Our results demonstrate that the average age of menarche is earlier in the sample of women who have a miscarriage (P > .001). When women are classified by early, middle, or late age at menarche, it was observed that, for the sample of women who had a miscarriage, there is a higher percentage of both early and late age at menarche. No significant differences were found in the rest of the morphological variables which were considered. The cycles of women who had miscarriages were more irregular than those in the control group.
Biological variability in a migrating isolate, the Tokelau Islands: Child growth in different environments
Authors: Ramirez M. E. , Brauer Gerhard W. , Prior I. A. M. , Ward R. H.
Published: June 2005

The magnitude and rates of growth have been compared among two cross‐sectional samples of Tokelau children on the basis of 26 anthropometric dimensions. One of the samples consisted of children living on the Tokelau Islands. The migrant sample consisted of children of Tokelau descent who were living in New Zealand. The comparison between samples suggest significant differences in the rate of linear growth at the younger ages. However, most differences were not significant among 17 year olds. The results support the hypothesis that even when the original environment is favorable, qualitative changes in the environment may affect the general pattern of growth. The effects of an accelerated growth pattern cannot be determined at this time.
Measurement errors for a portable device measuring short‐term growth
Authors: Himes John H. , Carson Catherine , Pheley Alfred
Published: June 2005

A field trial was conducted for a portable Knee Height Measuring Device (KHMD). Measurement errors for the machine, within and between observers (intraobserver and interobserver) and within subjects (intrasubject), were calculated from repeated observations of two anthropometrists on 40 children, 8 and 9 years of age. Interobserver technical error (0.452 mm) was larger than that published by the KHMD developers, but intraclass reliabilities are still very high (0.9975–0.9983). Attained size and fatness of subjects were not significantly correlated with interobserver measurement errors. Observed errors suggest they are sufficient to allow detection of knee height growth over periods of time much shorter than could be accomplished using more conventional anthropometry.
Is there a selective rural–urban migration in respect to height and weight?
Authors: Zielińska Dorota
Published: June 2005

Height and weight were examined in rural–urban premigrants from heavily depopulating regions in the countryside. The analysis involved children, 5.75–8.74 years, from rural schools in two rural districts in Poland, Bystrzyca Kłodzka and Pińczów, in 1978. Migrants were identified while reexamining the children in the same schools 10 years later, i.e., in 1988, and by using information from local census registers. The premigrants from the villages of Kłodzka Pińczów and Pinczow districts do not differ in height and weight when compared to the total population of rural children examined in each district. The comparison of height and weight in premigrants and nonmigrants in groups homogeneous for SES of the children's families indicates that if the SES of rural families is very low, individuals smaller in size tend to remain in the rural areas. When SES of the rural population improves, migration of the young seems to be random in respect to height and weight.
Epidemiological differences among birth weight and gestational age subgroups of newborns
Authors: Launer Lenore J. , Villar Jose , Kestler Edgar
Published: June 2005

For a sample of 16,113 women who received prenatal care from the Guatemalan Social Security Institute Hospital, we described the distribution of birth weight and gestational age subgroups and the association between known epidemiologic risk factors and the odds for 1) an appropriate‐weight‐for‐gestational‐age preterm vs. a small‐for‐gestational‐age term infant, 2) a small‐for‐gestational‐age preterm vs. a small‐for‐gestational‐age term infant, and 3) a normal ponderal index vs. a low ponderal index term small‐for‐gestational‐age infant. We found that low maternal income, education, height (3147 cm), prepregnancy weight (347.8 kg), and weight gain during pregnancy (30.72 kg) were associated with a greater odds for birth of a term small‐for‐gestational‐age infant (particularly those with a normal ponderal index) than for the birth of a preterm appropriate‐weight‐for‐gestational‐age infant. Conversely, medical and pregnancy‐related complications were associated with greater odds for a preterm birth of an appropriate‐ or a small‐for‐gestational‐age infant. Implications of these findings for interventions and research are discussed.
Heroin abuse during pregnancy: Effects on perinatal outcome and early childhood growth
Authors: Little Bertis B. , Snell Laura M. , Knoll Kraig A. , Ghali Fred E. , Rosenfeld Charles R. , Gant Norman F.
Published: June 2005

Heroin abuse during pregnancy is associated with 1) fetal growth retardation and neonatal withdrawal syndrome in infants and 2) an increased frequency of abruptio placentae, sexually transmitted diseases, and other complications in mothers. Based on the findings of several small cohort studies, postnatal growth and development of infants whose mothers were addicted to heroin during pregnancy appears to fall within normal variation. In the present study, information about use of heroin and other substances during pregnancy in relation to neonatal outcome was analyzed in 47 heroin‐abusing mothers and 80 control women and their respective infants. In addition medical record information was available for postnatal growth follow‐up of 28 (58%) of heroin‐exposed children and 22 (27.5%) of control infants. Infants born to heroin addicts in this study were significantly (P<.01) smaller at birth but exhibited no increase in the frequency of congenital anomalies compared with controls. Similar to findings of previous investigators, postnatal development of infants born to addicts was not delayed.
Skinfold thicknesses, body circumferences and their relationship to age, sex, and socioeconomic status in adults from Northwest India
Authors: Sanjeev  , Indech Gary D. , Jit Indar , Johnston Francis E.
Published: June 2005

Subcutaneous fatness, measured anthropometrically, was analyzed in a sample of 651 males and females, 18–49 years of age, of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) from the Chandigarh zone of Northwest India. There were significant differences between lower and upper SES males and females. In general, all groups tend to show increases in indicators of fatness between the 18–29 and the 30–39 year age groups. However, there was less consistency across groups between 30–39 and 40–49 years. There is no difference in sexual dimorphism between SES groups. Means of lower SES subjects are approximately 1 S.D. below those of U.S. reference data. Using the body mass index as a criterion, no lower SES individuals were classified as overweight or obese. In the upper SES sample, 12.1% were classified as overweight.
Body fat distribution: Associations with socioeconomic status in the Hispanic health and nutrition examination survey
Authors: Georges Eugenia , Mueller William H. , Wear Mary L.
Published: June 2005

Three indices derived from principal components analysis of four skinfold measurements were studied in relation to socioeconomic status (SES; income and education) in men and women of the U.S. Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). The three indices were fatness (PC1), central body fat distribution (PC2), and “centralized obesity” (PC1 + PC2). The well‐known inverse relation of fatness (PC1) with SES was demonstrated in women. This relationship tended to be positive in men, but not consistently so within the three Hispanic groups (Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican‐Americans) studied. A negative association of central body fat distribution (PC2) was also evident in both sexes and in all three groups except in Puerto Rican men, in whom the relationship was no longer significant after age adjustments. The third index combined information on both fatness level and central distribution. It was strongly related to SES in women but not in men.
Body composition estimates using different measurement techniques in a sample of highland subsistence farmers in Guatemala
Authors: Diaz Erik , González‐Cossío Teresa , Rivera Juan , Immink Maarten D. C. , Mendoza Ruben Dario , Flores C. Rafael
Published: June 2005

This study aims at assessing the accuracy of estimates of body composition provided by bioimpedance (BIA) equations developed for U.S. populations when applied to a sample of Guatemalan farmers. If these equations were shown to have low validity, the second objective was to develop more accurate estimates of fat‐free mass (FFM). One hundred males and females 19 to 45 years of age were randomly selected from four rural communities in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Bioimpedance equations explained 59 and 33% of the variation in FFM, with a RMSE of 2.7 and 2.8 kg in males and females, respectively. Body fat (BF) predictions had a lower R2. Using the “all possible regressions” procedure, the best subset for prediction of FFM used anthropometric and BIA variables as predictors. The best model for men and women included only anthropometric variables: 75% of the variance in FFM for men and 70% of the variance in women was explained by this model. The RMSE was 2.1 and 1.9 kg for both groups, respectively. It is concluded that FFM can be estimated from anthropometric dimensions with a high degree of accuracy and use of BIA does not provide more valid estimates.
The old and the new physical anthropology in the careers of E. A. Hooton and W. M. Krogman
Authors: Hunt Edward E.
Published: June 2005

Physical anthropology changed many of its theoretical premises after World War II under the influence of the synthetic theory of evolution. Earnest Albert Hooton (1887–1954) and Wilton Marion Krogman (1903–1987) were excellent examples of leading workers whose research orientations differed, but whose students were important parts of the new consensus. These theoretical innovations undermined the racial morphological typology which underlay much of Hooton's work on racial history, and radiographs of the sizes of bone, marrow, muscle, and fat in the human brachium undermined his work and researches of other constitutionalists and increased the prestige of alternative work on body composition. Krogman, however, initially worked on the growth of the skull and dentition of the great apes and was a leader in human growth studies all his life. He was the most important writer in the United States on forensic applications of human skeletal biology. Since neither growth studies nor forensic applications depended much on typology, Krogman's publications were generally more modern than Hooton's. In terms of parsimony, Hooton's works can be criticized in terms of his cumbersome typology, but not his ideas on arborealism and the adaptive radiation of the primates. Krogman's interest in roentgenographic cephalometry may have been motivated by a concern for parsimonious explanations of craniofacial growth. Indeed, research in the new physical anthropology can truly be said to stand on the shoulders of these two giants.
The aging process in the rib: An analysis of sex‐ and race‐related morphological variation
Authors: Işcan Mehmet Yaşar
Published: June 2005

One of the most important paleodemographic and forensic determinations is age at death from the adult skeleton. Techniques now in use vary from direct observation of a bone to microscopic examination of a given segment. Yet since the 1920s, only a few parts of the skeleton have been focused upon for this assessment. It was not until the 1980s that a method from a new site, the sternal end of the rib, was introduced. The rib studies were based on a sample of recent medical examiner's cases including bones from over 300 American Whites and Blacks of both sexes. All specimens came from individuals of documented age, sex and race. The ribs were first separated by sex and race then assigned to one of nine phases (0–8) based on the progression of changes observed at the constochondral junction. These included the formation of a pit, its depth and shape, configuration of the walls and rim surrounding it, and the overall texture and quality of the bone. Statistical analysis indicated that the morphological characteristics defining the phases were age related. There also were significant differences in the rate and pattern of metamorphosis by sex and race. The White male and female phase standards were blind tested and found to be easy to apply with little interobserver error between groups of judges divided by levels of education and experience. A comparison of age assessments from ribs and public symphyses from the same individuals revealed that twice as many ribs as symphyses were correctly phased. As with all skeletal methods there are some concerns with factors such as intraskeletal (in this case intercostal) variation, population specificity, and archaeological perservation. However, the rib phase technique can provide a more consistently accurate estimation of age within a narrower range than most other age assessment methods available today.
Digital dermatoglyphic fields in the Irish
Authors: Roberts D. F. , Greally M.
Published: June 2005

Analysis of digital dermatoglyphics from a large sample of Irish identifies principal components very similar to those in other United Kingdom samples, both in the eigenvalues and eigenvector distributions. These are interpreted as representing mathematical abstractions of developmental morphogenetic gradients in the embryonic handplate. Apart from the first component representing general size of ridge counts, the second depicts the contrast between ulnar and radial sides of digits, the third the contrast between lateral and mesial areas, and the fourth the gradient across the hand.
The validity generalization of skinfolds as measures of body density
Authors: Patterson Particia
Published: June 2005

Validity generalization was used to ascertain the generalizability of skinfolds as measures of body density. A literature search was conducted to locate studies employing skinfolds as predictors of body density using hydrostatic weighing as the criterion test. The sites examined included the triceps, subscapula, suprailiac, abdomen, front thigh, midaxillary, and the log sum of the biceps, triceps, suprailiac, and subscapula. Results indicated that no single sites were generalizable across all subjects; however, the log sum of the four sites was generalizable. For adult males, the suprailiac and midaxillary sites were generalizable, while the subscapular site was generalizable for women. No sites were generalizable for boys, while the triceps site was generalizable for girls. Suggestions are provided for additional research.
Nutritional ecology of pastoralists in dry tropical Africa
Authors: Galvin Kathleen A.
Published: June 2005

African pastoralists inhabit a variety of environments within tropical arid to semiarid regions. Ecological and cultural factors as well as economic opportunities and constraints influence the amounts and types of foods available. The preferred staple of all pastoral populations is milk from livestock. Pastoral diets are low in energy, but apparently adequate in protein. Growth in children is slow until late adolescence when height approaches the 50th percentile of reference data. Adult pastoralists are correspondingly tall and lean. Maintenance of high human numbers within the economy is a common strategy among a variety of pastoralists. The result is that pastoralists appear to be near the lower threshold of reasonable nutritional status at most times. This occurs despite marked variation in such elements as livestock and human numbers, diet composition, and activity patterns.
The monitoring of growth and nutritional status in South Africa
Authors: Cameron Noel
Published: June 2005

Analyses of the economic, political, demographic, and health indicators of South Africa place it within the context of the developing nations of the world. In particular current urbanization and population growth rates will lead to an increase of the Black urban population from 6.5 million in 1985 to over 20 million by the year 2000. Such dramatic social change will place major stress on the health of urban children. Few studies are available, however, that may be used to monitor the growth, and by implication the health, of rural children and thereby act as a baseline for the investigation of the effects of the urban environment. Research since 1985 on the growth and nutritional status of children has concentrated on longitudinal studies of rural children to form a basis for comparison to their urban counterparts. The results of these rural studies demonstrate growth patterns characteristic of children living in developing countries with some degree of variation, particularly with regard to weight and subcutaneous fat, between different rural groups. Rural children have a superior growth status in comparison to “average” urban children but are inferior to “well‐off” urban children. The urban environment thus favors those children with adequate socioeconomic support but may be disadvantageous to children from “average” backgrounds. Interpretation of the effects of the rural environment will be greatly enhanced with information relating to nutritional intake and morbidity.
Physical size, school performance, and visual‐motor maturity in the Philippines
Authors: Steegmann A. Theodore , Datar Francisco A. , Steegmann Ruth M.
Published: June 2005

The broad theoretical issue approached in this work is whether supposedly adaptive or maladaptive biological variation has any real impact on people's lives and well‐being. From a poor barrio of a rural lowland Philippine fishing community, a sample of 25 boys and 25 girls who had completed first grade at 8 years was measured. This population may be considered moderately undernourished by NCHS but not Philippine standards. Correlations between anthropometry, school grades, and visual‐motor skills were calculated. Grades, taken here to have both cognitive and social‐behavioral components, correlated best to percentage of median height (NCHS and Philippine), less strongly but still significantly to visual motor skill, and not to weight for height. Visual‐motor skills (estimated by the Beery VMI) did not correlate to anthropometry. Visual‐motor performance, however, is low by U.S. standards, a finding discussed in a behavioral context.
Secular trends in somatic and motor characteristics of physical education students
Authors: Claessens A. L. , Lefevre J.
Published: June 2005

This study investigated changes in somatic and motor characteristics of 3,514 physical education students at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) from the academic years 1941–1942 to 1988–1989. To facilitate data handling, the span of 47 years was divided into nine cohorts for anthropometric variables, and 4 cohorts for the motor data which were available only since the 1968–1969 academic year. A total of 21 anthropometric variables (since 1959) and 9 motor performance tests (since 1968) are included in the analysis. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables and for each cohort, and analyses of variance were done to test the significance of secular trends. For weight and length dimensions a significant increase was noted; current students are, on average, 4.2 kg heavier and 5.8 cm taller than those in 1941–1946. In contrast, however, there is no change and even a negative trend in circumferences and breadth dimensions. Current students had, on average, significantly narrower shoulders and hips by 0.5 cm and 1.0 cm for biacromial and bicristal breadths, respectively, than students in the 1959–1963 cohort, and a significantly smaller hip circumference by 3.3 cm between the 1959–1963 and 1984–1988 cohorts. Current students had a thicker triceps skinfold than students 25 years ago, with average values of 8.0 mm and 6.3 mm, respectively. However, no significant differences were observed in the subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds. For motor performance, current students obtained better results in flexibility, several strength tests, and running speed than students of 15 years ago. However, no change was observed in average speed of limb movement. It is hypothesized that the changes in both somatic characteristics and motor performance are related in part to changes in secondary school physical education programs and to changes in the first year university physical education curriculum. Published 1992 by Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparative study of five growth models applied to weight data from congolese infants between birth and 13 months of age
Authors: Simondon Kirsten B. , Simondon Francois , Delpeuch Francis , Cornu Andre
Published: June 2005

Five growth models are compared using weight data from 95 rural Congolese infants between birth and 13 months of age. The objective is to find the best model in terms of goodness of fit and distribution of parameter estimates. The Infancy component of the Karlberg model, the Count model, and the Kouchi model, which are all three‐parameter models, are tested together with the four‐ and five‐parameter versions of the Reed model. The closest fits are obtained using the Reed models, followed by the Karlberg model, while the Count and Kouchi models provide poor fits. The five‐parameter Reed model is not superior to the four‐parameter version. Examination of mean residuals by age shows a systematic bias in neonatal weight estimation with the three‐parameter models. Mean within‐ and between‐individual correlations are especially high for the Kouchi and Reed models. Extreme skewness is observed for some parameters of the Kouchi model and of the five‐parameter Reed model. Despite its high degree of collinearity, the four‐parameter linear Reed model should be preferred on weight data between birth and 1 year. The I‐component of the Karlberg model could be used between ages 2 and 12 months. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Body fat patterning in rural South African black children
Authors: Cameron N. , Johnston F. E. , Kgamphe J. S. , Lunz R.
Published: June 2005

Growth status, body fatness, and fat patterning were investigated in two cross‐sectional samples of rural South African Black children 6–19 years of age. The results were compared to data for American Blacks who were part of the NHANES survey. The two South African samples differed consistently, although rarely significantly, but both were smaller, lighter, and less fat than American Blacks. Analyses of triceps, biceps, subscapular, and suprailiac skinfolds demonstrated that all three samples had similar fat patterning when analysed either by investigating the Centripetal Fat Ratio or through an analysis of principal components. Following correction for general fatness, and in common with other studies of fat patterning, the first component related to central‐peripheral patterning, the second to a ventral‐dorsal patterning, and the third to upper‐lower body patterning. These three components accounted for 99.4% of the total variance. It is suggested that central‐peripheral fat patterning is a species characteristic but that other patterns are individual characteristics. Analysis of principal components within childhood, pre‐adolescent and adolescent age groups suggested that prior to adolescence a negative relationship exists between absolute level of fatness and centralization such that thinner, less fat, children are more centralized. During adolescence, however, there is no relationship between level of fatness and centralization. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Computation of Foulkes and Davis' nonparametric tracking index using GAUSS
Authors: Schneiderman Emet D. , Kowalski Charles J. , Ten Have Thomas R. , Willis Stephen M.
Published: June 2005

Foulkes and Davis (1981) define tracking as the maintenance of relative rank over a given time span. This paper outlines the development of their statistic, based on a set of individual growth profiles, which estimates the degree of tracking observed in a one‐sample longitudinal data set and shows how confidence intervals for the corresponding population parameter may be constructed. An example using a measure of skeletal growth is given and a GAUSS program to do the computations is provided. (Information on obtaining the GAUSS program is provided in the Appendix.) Properties of this statistical approach to tracking are contrasted with another non‐parametric method based on Cohen's kappa statistic. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evidence for recent increases in obesity and non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus in a Navajo community
Authors: Hall Teri R. , Hickey Martin E. , Young Terry B.
Published: June 2005

Historic and current biomedical data were used to quantify changes in obesity and non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) over a 30 year period in a Navajo community. Medical charts from an earlier study (1955–1961) provided data on 827 adults. Field‐based methods yielded data from 231 adults during a health survey in 1988. The adjusted prevalence of overweight (body mass index ≥27.8 males, ≥27.3 females) has increased from 18.9% to 43.7% (P = .0001) and the adjusted prevalence of NIDDM has increased from 1.2%–12.4% (P = .0001) in the community. Current members of the community have twice the risk of being diabetic or overweight than the U.S. general population. The recent and dramatic increases in these health conditions demonstrate the effect of an important environmental component which requires further investigation. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Body size and fatness in young adults in relation to age at menarche
Authors: Wellens R. , Malina R. M. , Roche A. F. , Chumlea W. C. , Guo S. , Siervogel R. M.
Published: June 2005

The relationships among age at menarche, body size, and body composition were considered in university students surveyed in 1970 (n = 342) and 1987 (n = 109). Recalled ages at menarche, stature, weight, and the triceps skinfold thickness were measured. Subjects ranged in age from 17.5 to 22.5 years in both surveys and were divided into four categories by age at menarche: before 12 years, 12.0 through 12.99 years, 13.0 through 13.99 years, and older than 14 years. In both the 1970 and 1987 surveys, later maturers had significantly more linear physiques than those experiencing menarche earlier. Late maturers also showed a tendency to lower values for the body mass index (BMI) and triceps skinfold compared with early maturers. Comparative data for women of the same age from the Fels Longitudinal Study (n = 234) showed similar findings. Women who reached menarche at ages older than 14 years were significantly taller than women with menarcheal ages less than 13 years. Women with menarcheal ages younger than 12 years were significantly heavier and had higher BMIs than those from any older menarcheal category. They also had significantly thicker triceps skinfolds than those with menarcheal ages older than 14 years. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Population change in adult obesity and blood lipids in American Samoa from 1976–1978 to 1990
Authors: McGarvey Stephen T. , Levinson Paul D. , Bausser‐Man Linda , Galanis Daniel J. , Hornick Conrad A.
Published: June 2005

Obesity in American Samoan adults in 1990 was compared to that in 1976–1978 to evaluate population changes concomitant with modernization. Body weight, stature, the body mass index (BMI), and two skinfolds were measured in 1990 in 830 males and females 25–74 years old, and were compared to corresponding data from 1976 and 1978 for 1,621 adults. Mean BMI and skinfold thicknesses increased markedly from 1976–1978 to 1990 in males at all ages. Mean BMI for 45–54 year old males was approximately 3.6 kg/m2 higher (P < 0.0001) in 1990 than in 1976–1978, but was only 0.6 kg/m2 higher in females of the same age. The prevalence of overweight increased significantly from 66% in 1976–1978 to 85% in 1990 (P < 0.001) in 35–44 year old males, but remained about the same, 91%, in females of that age. Similar sex differences in temporal change were found in skinfolds. Fasting serum total and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides were obtained for a random subsample of 67 males 40–49 years old and were compared to lipid levels in a 1978 sample of American Samoan males of similar age and residence. Both total and HDL cholesterol were significantly different between 1978 and 1990, 178 vs. 205 mg/dl (P < 0.02), and 43 vs. 37 mg/dl (P < 0.01), respectively. Triglycerides were higher in 1990 than in 1978, 169 vs. 128 mg/dl. The results suggest that obesity and adiposity increased more over 12–14 years among adult males than among females, who in 1976–1978 were already massively overweight. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prenatal and postnatal growth and allometry of stature, head circumference, and brain weight in québec children
Authors: Cabana Thérèse , Jolicoeur Pierre , Michaud Jean
Published: June 2005

A recently proposed four‐parameter generalization of the Gompertz curve (Jolicoeur et al., 1992a) is used to analyze chronological growth and allometry in the stature, head circumference, and brain weight of 101 male and 95 female fetuses and children autopsied at the Sainte‐Justine Hospital for children in Montréal. Although asymptotic stature cannot be determined accurately because the sample does not include adults, the data nevertheless suggest that head circumference and brain weight terminate most of their growth much earlier than stature. This conclusion is also supported by the fact that, whereas the log‐log relationship between head circumference and brain weight is almost straight and closely approximates simple allometry, the log‐log relationships between stature, on one hand, and head circumference or brain weight, on the other hand, are markedly curved, indicating complex allometry. Applied to 78 males and 73 females whose total age is between 20 weeks and 1.5 years, the confidence intervals of the slope of the major axis of logarithmically transformed data indicate that the allometry exponent of brain weight relative to head circumference is somewhat higher than 3.0, which may reflect changes in head proportions. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Precision of recumbent anthropometry
Authors: Williamson David F. , Kahn Henry S. , Worthman Carol M. , Burnette Joy C. , Russell Carl M.
Published: June 2005

In some studies recumbent anthropometric measures are more appropriate than standing measures. There is little published information, however, on the precision of recumbent measures. To estimate the interobserver precision of recumbent anthropometry, 22 men and 29 women volunteers 35–64 years of age were each measured on the same day by four trained nurses previously inexperienced in anthropometry. Fourteen recumbent measurements were taken, including abdominal sagittal diameter measured with a new type of caliper. The nurses also measured standing waist and hip girths. Various indicators of interobserver precision were estimated including the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The ICC ranged from 98.5% for calf girth to 56.2% for the suprailiac skinfold in men, while it ranged from 95.8% for upper arm girth to 67.0% for the suprailiac skinfold in women. The abdominal sagittal diameter measurement had very high precision as estimated by the ICC in both men and women, 95.8% and 96.3%, respectively. Recumbent waist girth was, on average, only 0.3 cm larger than standing girth. In contrast, recumbent hip girth was 3.8 cm smaller than standing girth. These findings suggest that studies using recumbent anthropometry can achieve levels of precision similar to those obtained with standing anthropometry. For both sexes, however, the suprailiac skinfold appears to have much lower precision in the recumbent than in the standing position. In addition, prevalence estimates of abdominal obesity derived from the ratio of waist‐to‐hip girths will be higher in studies using recumbent anthropometry than in studies using standing anthropometry. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pregnancy outcomes among Whites and Filipinos: A paradoxical birth weight‐neonatal mortality relationship
Authors: Alexander Greg R. , Baruffi Gigliola , Mor Joanne M. , Kieffer Edith
Published: June 2005

Evidence from the Philippines suggests that, compared to Whites, infants born to Filipino women are more likely to be low birth weight. A paucity of information is available regarding birth outcomes of U.S.‐born Filipinos. Using 1979–1987 Hawaii vital record data on single live births to resident mothers, this study compares the maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of White and Filipino mothers, Filipino mothers were significantly more likely to be <18 years of age and single, and have lower educational attainment and less adequate utilization of prenatal care. Significantly higher percentages of very preterm, preterm, very low birth weight, low birth weight, and small for gestational age infants were found for Filipinos. The birth weight‐specific neonatal mortality rates for Filipinos compared favorably to Whites except at the high end of the birth weight distribution. After taking into account maternal sociodemographic risk and prenatal care factors in a logistic regression, a significant ethnic difference in low birth weight persisted but was not found for neonatal mortality. These data may suggest that similar neonatal mortality rates among ethnic groups may be possible in the face of persistent birth weight distribution differences and add to the growing evidence that a single standard of low birth weight may be inappropriate as an universal indicator of health status risk in a multi‐ethnic population. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The utility of generalized girth and skinfold equations to predict body composition in women runners
Authors: Thompson Dixie L. , Snead David B. , Weltman Arthur
Published: June 2005

Although generalized equations to predict body composition exist, the validity of these equations when applied to a homogeneous group of athletic women is uncertain. Sixty‐five women runners (age = 28.3 ± 6.4 yrs; ht = 166.8 ± 6.2 cm; wt = 58.9 ± 6.6 kg; body density (Db) = 1.047 ± 0.009 g · cc−1; percentage body fat (%BF) = 22.1 ± 3.7%; V̇O2max = 56.0 ± 5.3 ml/kg · min−1; training volume = 45.8 ± 16.0 km · wk−1) were used to cross‐validate the Jackson, Pollock, and Ward (1980) generalized quadratic skinfold equations (JPW) and the Tran and Weltman (1989) generalized girth equation (TW). Additionally, the average of TW and the JPW quadratic skinfold equations were calculated and compared to hydrostatic weighing (HW). None of the JPW equations nor the TW equation accurately predicted Db (P <0.05). All JPW equations underpredicted %BF with values ranging from 16.3–19.7%. Correlations ranged from r = 0.73 to r = 0.79. Standard errors (SE = [∑(Y − Y′)2/N]1/2) for predicting %BF ranged from 6.6% to 3.9%. The TW equation underestimated body density (1.041 ± 0.008) with a correlation of r = 0.54 and a SE of 4.2%. When the results of the JPW sum of 4 skinfolds (or the sum of 7 skinfolds) was averaged with TW, no significant mean differences in Db or %BF were observed and the standard errors were 2.7%. Additionally, a population specific equation was derived using skinfolds and girths (n = 40) and was shown to accurately predict body density in a cross‐validation sample of women runners (n = 25). This equation yielded a correlation of r = 0.72 and a SE = 2.7%. It was concluded that the combination of skinfold and girth techniques is superior to either method alone when predicting body composition in women runners. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Physiological maturation, reproductive patterns, and female fecundability in a traditional Moroccan population (Amizmiz, Marrakech)
Authors: Varea C. , Bernis C. , Elizondo S.
Published: June 2005

The interaction between age at menarche, adolescent motherhood, and subfecundity were evaluated in 496 Moroccan women 25–54 years of age from the province of Marrakech. Since this population is characterized by later sexual maturation and early marriage, significantly increased subfecundity, measured by the waiting time to first live birth and the incidence of fetal loss, was expected. Menstrual age was defined as the difference between age at marriage and age at menarche. Social access to reproduction was conditioned by age at menarche: early maturers married at a younger age, while late maturers had a significantly shorter menstrual age despite the fact that married at a significantly older age. Although there was a tendency for late maturers to have longer waiting times and more fetal loss, there were no significant differences for either variable according to menarcheal age. Women with a shorter menstrual age became pregnant within the first year after marriage significantly less frequently than women with a greater menstrual age, but did not experience a greater occurrence of fetal loss during their reproductive life. The results indirectly support the hypothesis that the regularity of ovarian function is similar among populations independent of the timing of menarche. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Genes and body fat
Authors: Bouchard Claude
Published: June 2005

This paper reviews recent data concerning the role of inherited differences in body fat content. The heritability of percent body fat or fat mass reaches about 25% of the age and gender adjusted phenotypic variance. One study has reported a significant major gene effect accounting for almost one half of the variance in body fat content. Experimental overfeeding studies suggest that body weight and fat gains are influenced by undefined genetic characteristics. Significant heritability estimates have been reported for major determinants of body fat content, including fat content of the diet, resting metabolic rate, thermic response to food, and level of habitual physical activity. Animal genetic studies and other experimental approaches indicate that the number of genes affecting body fat content, and associated with the susceptibility to obesity, is likely to be high. Currently available research strategies along with more extensive intermediate phenotyping will advance our knowledge about the genetic basis of human obesity. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trends in cranial capacity and cranial index in Subsaharan Africa during the Holocene
Authors: Henneberg M. , Steyn M.
Published: June 2005

Craniometric data have been collected from published and unpublished reports of numerous authors on 961 male and 439 female crania from various sites in Subsaharan Africa spanning the last 100 ka. All data available in the literature, irrespective of their “racial” affinities, were used to cover the prehistoric and early historic times (up to 400 a BP). Samples covering the last 400 years do not include European colonists and consist of skeletons exavated at archeological sites, collected by early European travelers and derived from anatomical collections. Cranial capacity, depending on the mode of its calculation, has decreased by 95–165 cm3 among males and by 74–106 cm3 among females between the Late Stone Age (30‐2 ka BP) and modern times (last 200 years). Values of the cranial index did not show any trend over time and their averages remained in the dolichocephalic category. The decrease in cranial capacity in Subsaharan Africa is similar to that previously found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa, but, unlike the latter, it is not accompanied by brachycephalization. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relationship of serum cholesterol and truncal body fat distribution among Mexican Americans is accentuated by obesity
Authors: Frisancho A. Roberto , Smith Shelley , Albalak Rachel
Published: June 2005

The relationship of body fat distribution to serum cholesterol levels was evaluated in a sample of 3,040 Mexican Americans 18–74 years of age from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES) conducted from 1982–1984. Fat distribution was determined by the ratio of trunk to extremity skinfold thicknesses, while the sum of skinfold thicknesses was used as an indicator of total body fat. Results of this study indicate that: 1) Mexican Americans are significantly fatter and have a higher trunk/extremity skinfold ratio than U.S. standards; 2) despite their higher level of total body fat and truncal fat, Mexican Americans have lower serum cholesterol levels than U.S. standards; 3) Mexican American males at the same percentile level of fatness or trunk/extremity skinfold ratio have significantly higher serum cholesterols than females, despite the fact that females have higher absolute values of fat and truncal fat than males; 4) among Mexican American males the association between truncal fat distribution and hypercholesteremia increases with level of fatness. In other words, in Mexican American males the association of truncal fat distribution with hypercholesteremia is accentuated by obesity. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An epidemiological study of blood pressure and lipid levels among Marwaris of Calcutta, India
Authors: Majumder Partha P. , Nayak Sujata , Bhattacharya SK , Ghosh KK , Pal S. , Mukherjee BN
Published: June 2005

This population based study was conducted among the Marwaris of Calcutta, India. A total of 1,096 individuals from 151 randomly selected families were studied. Mean blood pressures were high. About 17% of the population was hypertensive, i.e., systolic blood pressure > 160 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure > 95 mm Hg. The mean value of the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol was 4.75. Comparison with a rural agricultural population showed that unadjusted blood pressure profiles differed significantly, but not when the profiles were adjusted for variation in concomitants (e.g., age, weight, fatness, etc.). It is hypothesized that the “intrinsic” blood pressure profiles of both populations are similar and that genes influencing physical variables (e.g., fatness) do not directly influence blood pressure. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
On the independence of adult stature from the timing of the adolescent growth spurt
Authors: Bielicki Tadeusz , Hauspie Roland C.
Published: June 2005

Longitudinal studies have shown repeatedly that little or no correlation exists between the timing of the pubertal spurt in stature and adult stature (AS). However, the possibility seems to have been overlooked that such near‐zero correlations may, at least theoretically, be an artefact resulting from two opposite tendencies that cancel each other out: a hypothetical “biological” tendency for early maturers to end up as slightly shorter adults and a socially induced tendency, resulting from the existence of social gradients in growth, for accelerated maturation to be accompanied by taller A.S. Data of the Wroclaw Growth Study (355 fitted growth curves) were used to see whether making a sample socially more homogeneous produces any increase in the correlation between age at PHV and AS. No such effects were found. Thus the validity of the view is confirmed that genes controlling the timing of the spurt also affect the shape of the growth curve in such a way that the shorter time available for completion of growth in the early maturers is compensated for by a greater intensity of the spurt itself. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.