Secular trends in the anthropometry of adolescents and college students: Polish perspective

Abstract

Socio-economic disparities lead to biological consequences manifested in the differences in anthropometric traits as well as in pubertal timing within a population, which is the case not only in Poland, but all over the world. The screening of the development of somatic traits in the Polish population has been conducted for over 100 years. Furthermore, some studies on stratification trends, i.e. intergenerational changes occurring in social groups singled out from the general population, have been conducted. Such analyses allow observing social stratification changes over a given period and determining the intensity of the biological consequences of these disparities. The analysis of intergenerational changes in respect of body height (stature) of Polish males based on a representative sample of military conscripts shows that the genetically determined growth potential of Poles has not been fully exploited yet, and thus a further increase in mean body height may be anticipated. However, it seems that the increase in adult stature will be in the near future less considerable than the intergenerational changes leading to BMI (Body Mass Index) increase. The continuing presence of social gradients in respect of body height and relative mass reflect the stability of social divisions in Polish living standards. The results of studies on earlier pubertal timing in Polish girls demonstrate that the lowering of age at menarche will continue, as the genetically determined limit has not been achieved yet, either.