Anthropological Review 2023, Vol. 86 No. 1

Trends in body size and prevalence of underweight and overweight in 7–9 year old children from eastern Poland between 2006 and 2021

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Trends in body size and prevalence of underweight and overweight in 7–9 year old children from eastern Poland between 2006 and 2021 Wasiluk, Agnieszka; Bodasińska, Anna; Saczuk, Jerzy Malnutrition and the overnutrition of children and adolescents is a severe problem in most countries. Aim of the study: Determination of fifteen-year changes in body height, and BMI in girls and boys living in towns and villages in eastern Polish voivodeships.In 2006, 2016, and 2021 a study was conducted on children and adolescents living in the Podlaskie, Lubelskie, and Podkarpackie voivodeships (7048 girls and 7686 boys aged 7–9 years). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on height and weight measurements. In the calendar age groups, arithmetic means and dissemination measures for body height and BMI were calculated on particular time periods of the study. The statistical significance of the differences between the groups was conducted using the ANOVA analysis of variance and the Newmann-Keuls test. From the research material, study participants exhibiting underweight, overweight and those falling within a normal range of weight-to-height proportions were selected taking into account places of residence (town, village). The statistical significance of the differences between the number of people classified into the above-described groups was determined using the χ² test.In the analysed period in groups of girls, a systematic increase in body height was observed. However, in boys, such tendency was found only in rural residents. In the period of 2006–2016, greater changes in BMI were found in girls from rural areas and boys from cities. The opposite observation was recorded in the 2016–2021 period. In the years between 2006 and 2021, the incidence of both underweight and normal BMI decreased, while the incidence of overweight and obesity increased.Our results indicate the need for conducting systematic research assessing the nutritional status of young people living in the Lubelskie and Podlaskie voivodships, as well as an in-depth analysis of the causes of malnutrition and undertaking educational activities.

Do the short die young? Evidence from a large sample of deceased Polish adults

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Do the short die young? Evidence from a large sample of deceased Polish adults Chmielewski, Piotr Paweł; Kozieł, Sławomir; Borysławski, Krzysztof Body height is associated with various socioeconomic and health-related outcomes. Despite numerous studies, the relationship between stature and longevity remains uncertain. This study explores the association between self-reported height and lifespan. Data from 848,860 adults who died between 2004 and 2008 in Poland were collected. After excluding a small proportion of records due to missing data or errors, we examined records for 848,387 individuals (483,281 men, age range: 20–110 years; 365,106 women, age range: 20–112 years). Height was expressed as standardized residual variance derived from linear regression in order to eliminate the variance of year of birth on height. After the elimination of the cohort effect, five height classes were designated using centiles: very short, short, medium, tall and very tall. The differences between sexes and among classes were evaluated with two-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s test. The effect size was assessed using partial eta squared (η2). Pearson’s r coefficients of correlation were calculated. The effect of sex on lifespan was nearly 17 times stronger than the effect of height. No correlation between height and lifespan was found. In conclusion, these findings do not support the hypothesis that taller people have a longevity advantage. We offer tentative explanations for the obtained results.

Sexual variation in the inter-triradial distance of the palm among Bengali Hindu population of Kolkata, India

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Sexual variation in the inter-triradial distance of the palm among Bengali Hindu population of Kolkata, India Banerjee, Ritwik; Das, Manashi Palm prints are one of the most important forensic tools for human identification in medico-legal investigation. Palm prints are often used for forensic sex estimation to narrow down the pool of suspects through a process of elimination. The aim of this study was to test whether a novel approach of sex estimation from palmar inter-triradial distances previously posited by Badiye and colleagues [Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 2019; 65(March):22–26] can be used as a primary tool for forensic sexing. For this study the bilateral palm prints from 200 Bengali Hindu adults (100 male, 100 female) were collected using traditional ink printing method and were analysed. Descriptive statistics were presented in tables and linear discriminant analysis was conducted to estimate the extent of sexual dimorphism in the inter-triradial distances and to find out variables with the strongest sex discriminating potential. Binary logistic regression analysis (BLR) was performed to derive sex estimation equations. Sexual dimorphism has been found to be statistically significant (p< 0.001) using linear discriminant analysis with a sexing accuracy of 79.0 percent for the left and 79.5 percent for the right palm. Distance between a and t triradius has been found to be the most influential on this model followed by the combined abcd-t distance. For the BLR analysis, the correct classification percentage was found to be the highest on the a-t distance of the right palm with a success rate of 80.5 percent which is closely followed by the combined abcd-t distance which has a classification success rate of 80.0 percent for the right palm. The present study has concluded that, inter-triradial distance of the palm is fairly dimorphic sexually but can only be used as a supplementary tool in inference of sex for medico-legal investigation. Due to a higher accuracy, the distance between a and t triradius has been proposed to be used instead of combined abcd-t distance which was suggested in the original study conducted by Badiye and colleagues (2019).

Sarcopenia: prevalence and its main risk factors in older women

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Sarcopenia: prevalence and its main risk factors in older women Bogucka, Aleksandra; Kopiczko, Anna; Charzewska, Jadwiga Introduction: Sarcopenia is a major public health concern. It is defined as a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder that is associated with an increased likelihood of falls, fractures, physical disability, and ultimately, premature death. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and determine the role of physical activity, nutrient intake, and selected risk factors for the development of sarcopenia in older women. Methods: The study involved 302 women aged ≥65 years (mean age: 72.1± 5.9 years). Bioelectrical impedance analysis of body composition, static muscle strength measurements, Timed Up and Go test, and the assessment of current physical activity using accelerometers were performed. Diets were assessed using the 24-h recall method from two non-consecutive days. The energy and nutrient content of diets was calculated using the computer program DIETA 6. Results: Sarcopenia was present in 28.8% of the women studied. The most important factor in the decrease in the risk of sarcopenia was protein intake ≥ 0.9 g/kg b.m. (OR=0.08;p<0.001), and physical activity ≥ 4000 steps/day. However, these results were not statistically significant (OR=0.58; p=0.08). Furthermore, the risk of developing sarcopenia increased as BMI (OR=1.36; p<0.001) or percent of body fat (OR=1.29; p<0.001) increased.