Premium
Secular changes in stature and biacromial and bicristal diameters of young adult Spanish males
Author(s) -
Mesa María Soledad,
Fuster Vicente,
SánchezAndrés Angeles,
Marrodán Dolores
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.1310050613
Subject(s) - secular variation , demography , socioeconomic status , population , sociology
Measurements of stature and biacromial and bicristal diameters were obtained for two samples of young adult male university students, one from 1901 to 1919 and the other from 1989 to 1991. Means and standard deviations were calculated for each measurement and for three indices. Significant positive trends in stature and biacromial and bicristal diameters were apparent between the two samples: 7.3 cm (4.4%), 3.6 cm (9.9%), and 3.4 cm (12.5%), respectively. The results for stature were compared with other Spanish samples from the beginning of the century to the present. These comparisons also showed positive secular changes, although the differences among samples may have been conditioned by regional variations in socioeconomic conditions, industrialization, and so on, all of which complicate the interpretation of the magnitude of changes in Spain. In summary, the results show a positive secular trend in body dimensions, and this can be related to the improvement in living conditions in Spain, especially during the last 40 years. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.