Body structure and maturation – the association with environmental factors

AbstractThe main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between physique, maturation and some environmental factors. The study was conducted in Warsaw, between 2012 and 2013 in randomly selected schools. The material included 171 girls, aged 12-20 years. Body height and weight, upper and lower extremity length, subcutaneous fat folds on arm, subscapular and abdominal, circumferences of arm, chest, waist and hip were measured. Body proportion indices were calculated. The questionnaire form provided information on parental education and profession, and the number of children in family. Girls were asked about age at menarche, number of daily meals, level of physical activity, participation is sport, and level of stress at home and at school. The principal component analysis was applied and 4 factors were extracted from the set of living condition characteristics (F1 - Parental education & father’s occupation, F2 - Mother’s occupation and the number of children, F3 - Stress, F4 - Physical activity and number of daily meals). Regression analysis allowed to evaluate the association of body build characteristics and age at menarche with the four factors. Factor 1 and 4 were the only ones which showed a statistically significant association with body build. The results showed that girls who were taller, with smaller arm and waist circumferences and less adiposity came from families with higher parental education and better father’s profession. Taller stature, longer legs and less adiposity characterized girls who were more physically active and consumed more than three meals a day.

Download Full-text

Meat consumption and age of menarche among schoolgirls in Shanghai

10.21203/rs.2.10651/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Youmei Wu ◽

Qiuyun Gu ◽

Xueying Cui ◽

Zhenni Zhu ◽

Jiajie Zang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Household Income ◽

Parental Education ◽

Pubertal Development ◽

Meat Consumption ◽

Age At Menarche ◽

Processed Meat ◽

Early Menarche ◽

Total Meat ◽

Menarche Age

Abstract Background：The relationship between dietary intake and pubertal development is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the association between meat consumption and early menarche among schoolgirls in Shanghai. Methods：The study randomly selected 1981 schoolgirls aged 6–18 years in Shanghai using a two-stage random sampling design. Information on meat intake was collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Menarche age, household income, physical activity and other covariates were obtained by standardized questionnaires. Height, weight and percentage of body fat were measured by trained field staff. Logistic regression was used to analyse the association between intake of meat and early menarche. Results：Among all the school girls who had experienced menarche (n=986), the mean age at menarche was 11.97±1.24 years. Of the girls, 26.10% (n=518) had early menarche. After adjusting for body mass index, age, physical activity, sleep, household income and parental education, consumption of poultry was positively associated with risk of early menarche (P-trend=0.03). Girls who never consumed poultry had a lower risk of early menarche (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39–0.96). Poultry consumption less than once a week was not significantly associated with early menarche compared with those consuming poultry once or more a week (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.50–1.08). Neither the consumption of pork, beef, lamb, processed meat nor total meat consumption were associated with menarche age. Conclusions: Higher consumption of poultry was associated with an earlier age at menarche.

Download Full-text

Budowa i proporcje ciała warszawskiej młodzieży gimnazjalnej

Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae ◽

10.21697/seb.2015.13.3.05 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 85-103

Author(s):

Joanna Grzelak ◽

Joanna Nieczuja-Dwojacka ◽

Anna Siniarska ◽

Ewa Samul

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Subcutaneous Fat ◽

Principal Component ◽

Living Conditions ◽

Fat Tissue ◽

Trunk Length ◽

Body Build ◽

High School Grades ◽

Questionnaire Form ◽

Body Circumferences

The aim of the study was to assess changes in body build of young Warsaw pupils during the last 14 years and coming from different living conditions and lifestyle. The material comprised youth attending high school (177 individuals) aged 14-16 years. The questionnaire form included parents' education, the number of: family members, offspring, rooms, daily meals; smoking habits of parents; assessment of physical activity and stress at home, school, and high school grades. Measurements included: height and weight, upper and lower extremity length, trunk length, arm, chest, waist and hip circumferences, three subcutaneous fat folds. BMI and WHR were calculated. The living conditions were reduced by principal component analysis to three factors (family size, living conditions, environmental stress). Regression analysis showed the relation of 3 factors to body build. The current youth were characterized by greater: weight, BMI, fat tissue, trunk length and body circumferences than their coevals 14 years before. In more numerous families youth had greater trunk length. In worse living conditions they were characterized by shorter legs and more fat tissue on arm. In stress conditions youth presented greater hip circumference.

Download Full-text

Secular trend and social gradients in the menarcheal age of girls from eastern Poland between 1986 and 2016

Anthropological Review ◽

10.2478/anre-2020-0020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 83 (3) ◽

pp. 279-291

Author(s):

Jerzy Saczuk ◽

Agnieszka Wasiluk ◽

Piotr Pytasz

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Parental Education ◽

Age At Menarche ◽

Place Of Residence ◽

Number Of Children ◽

General Index ◽

Research Material ◽

Menarcheal Age ◽

Provinces Of Poland ◽

Different Levels

AbstractThe age at menarche is changing together with the development of society. The intensities of secular trends vary in different countries, regions or even towns and villages. Therefore, the objective of the paper was to assess the changes of the menarcheal age of girls in groups defined by different levels of parental education and the number of children in a family as well as the general index of socioeconomic status. The paper utilises the results of research conducted in the years 1985–1986, 2005–2006 and 2015–2016, covering 11 671 girls aged 10–16 from eastern provinces of Poland. Information about the date of birth, the date of the first period, place of residence, fathers’ and mothers’ education and the number of children in a family was collected. Research material was divided into groups stratified by mother’s education, father’s education, number of children in a family, size of place of residence and the general index of socioeconomic status (SES) was calculated. The results were processed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Newman-Keuls method.In all the assessed groups of girls the acceleration of maturation has been observed. Greater socio-economic differences of the menarcheal age of the respondents were observed in the years 1986–2006, whereas in the years 2006–2016 the differences were smaller. During the assessed period of 30 years, the most intensive acceleration in menarche was observed in the lowest social strata, i.e. in the daughters of parents with primary or vocational education, in those from the largest families and in those who were included in the group with the lowest SES point values. The lowest acceleration in the described indicator of development was found in girls from families with one or two children, whose parents had higher education degrees and the highest SES values.The assessed schoolgirls still demonstrate the existence of social gradients in the menarcheal age but the gradients are smaller than 30 years ago.

Download Full-text

Unemployment in the Polish countryside and its effect on the development and rate of maturation of rural girls

Anthropological Review ◽

10.2478/v10044-008-0008-2 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 33-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Elżbieta Olszewska ◽

Teresa Łaska-Mierzejewska

Keyword(s):

Elementary Education ◽

Rural Families ◽

Body Height ◽

The Body ◽

Age At Menarche ◽

Number Of Children ◽

The Family ◽

The Difference ◽

Farming Families ◽

Working Fathers

Unemployment in the Polish countryside and its effect on the development and rate of maturation of rural girlsThe aim of this study is to assess the biological status of girls from landless rural families - daughters of working fathers, and those of unemployed fathers. The measures include age at menarche, body height and weight, and the body mass index (BMI). The study of rural girls was conducted in 2001; a total of 9599 girls aged 9-18 were examined. The material used in the present article only embraces girls from non-farming rural families (N = 4476). It was divided into daughters of working fathers (86.5%) and those of unemployed fathers (13.5%). Daughters of working fathers mature earlier than those of unemployed fathers. The difference in the age at menarche is 0.39 years and is statistically significant. The age at menarche of daughters of unemployed fathers approximates the menarchal age of daughters from farming families with many children (5 or more) in which both parents have elementary education. In groups similar in terms of the father's education and the number of children in the family, daughters of unemployed fathers display a later age at menarche and a lower body height and weight. These results support the statement that a father's lack of employment affects the biological status of his daughters.

Download Full-text

Psychological, sociodemographic, and environmental factors related to physical activity during the COVID-19 lockdown

10.31236/osf.io/k67qn ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Claudia Teran-Escobar ◽

Cyril Forestier ◽

Clément Ginoux ◽

Sandrine Isoard-Gautheur ◽

Philippe Sarrazin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Surface Area ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Environmental Predictors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Number Of Children ◽

On Line

Background. Recent findings have shown changes in physical activity (PA) levels during the COVID-19 lockdown.Objective. To appraise the psychological, sociodemographic and, environmental levers and barriers to PA during the COVID-19 lockdown.Method. In this cross-sectional study, participants living in France (N= 390) completed an on-line survey between March 30 and April 10. Questions about physical activity before and during the lockdown, psychological (e.g., intention, self-efficacy), sociodemographic (gender, age, number of children) and environmental (habitat surface area, type of housing) factors were included in this survey. Multiple linear regressions were used to investigate the role of psychological, sociodemographic, and environmental predictors on PA. Intention and self-efficacy were examined as moderators and mediators of the association between sociodemographic/environmental factors and PA.Results. Habitat surface area, intention toward physical activity, and usual physical activity before the COVID-19 lockdown predicted PA during the lockdown. No mediating effects of intention, and self-efficacy were found. Self-efficacy significantly moderated the association between number of children and PA. Intention significantly moderated the association between gender and PA.Conclusions. Psychological, sociodemographic, and environmental factors were significantly associated with moderate to vigorous PA during the COVID-19 lockdown in France. Additional research is needed to understand how socio-ecological factors might be implemented to promote physical activity.

Download Full-text

Individual, Sociodemographic, and Environmental Factors Related to Physical Activity During the Spring 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.643109 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Claudia Teran-Escobar ◽

Cyril Forestier ◽

Clément Ginoux ◽

Sandrine Isoard-Gautheur ◽

Philippe Sarrazin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Surface Area ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Online Survey ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Number Of Children ◽

Controlled Motivation

Background: Research has shown important between-individual variations in physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 lockdown.Objectives: The objectives of this is study are to examine the individual, sociodemographic, and environmental factors related to PA during the spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in France and to explore the mediating and moderating role of intention and self-efficacy toward PA in the relationships between sociodemographic/environmental variables and PA.Design: In this cross-sectional study, participants living in France (N = 386) completed an online survey between March 30 and April 10, 2020.Method: Minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous PA during the lockdown; usual physical activity before the lockdown; and psychological (e.g., intention, self-efficacy, and autonomous and controlled motivation), sociodemographic (gender, age, and number of children), and environmental (habitat surface area and type of housing) factors were measured in the survey. Multiple linear regressions were used to investigate the role of these predictors on PA. Intention and self-efficacy were also examined as moderators and mediators of the association between sociodemographic/environmental factors and PA.Results: Usual physical activity before the COVID-19 lockdown, intention toward PA, habitat surface area, and controlled motivation significantly predicted PA during the lockdown. No mediating effects of intention or self-efficacy were found. Intention significantly moderated the association between gender and PA and the association between part-time work and PA.Conclusions: PA during the COVID-19 lockdown was mainly predicted by individual factors and notably usual PA. These results highlight the important role of habits in a highly changing context.

Download Full-text

Association between reproductive factors and postmenopausal osteoporosis

Osteologie/Osteology ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1620001 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 20 (03) ◽

pp. 248-251

Author(s):

H. R. Meybodi ◽

N. Khalili ◽

P. Khashayar ◽

R. Heshmat ◽

A. Hossein-nezhad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Mineral Density ◽

Bone Mineral ◽

Reproductive Factors ◽

Population Based ◽

Age At Menarche ◽

Mineral Density ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Number Of Children ◽

Menstrual History ◽

Duration Of Breastfeeding

SummaryThe present cross-sectional research was designed to study possible correlations between clinical reproductive factors and bone mineral density (BMD) values.Using the data gathered by the population-based Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS), we investigated the correlation found between reproductive factors and osteoporosis. Subjects were recruited from five major cities of Iran. Bone mineral density was measured using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry and the results were analyzed against the age at menarche and at menopause, number of pregnancies, children and abortions, and the history (and duration) of breastfeeding.Data was available for 2528 women. Gravidity and number of children were reversely correlated with BMD. Younger age at menarche was associated with higher BMD values, whereas there was no significant correlation between age at menopause and menstrual history and BMD.Our study suggests that clinical reproductive factors, particularly number of children and breastfeeding, could be incorporated as predictors of BMD levels in women. Given the controversial results obtained in different studies, longitudinal studies should be carried out to enlighten the importance of these factors and the rationale of their use to predict BMD values in different settings.

Download Full-text

Physical fitness of people with moderate and considerable intellectual disabilities

Physiotherapy ◽

10.2478/physio-2013-0012 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Marzena Ślężyńska ◽

Grzegorz Mięsok ◽

Kamila Mięsok

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Intellectual Disability ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Body Mass ◽

Body Height ◽

Abdominal Muscle ◽

The Body ◽

Intellectually Disabled ◽

Fitness Tests ◽

Abdominal Muscle Strength

AbstractIntroduction: The aim of the physical activity of the intellectually disabled is the strengthening of health, creating movement habits, promoting active recreation, and maintaining exercise capacity. Skillfully applied physical activity allows to mitigate the effects of pathology and create the compensations to enable the intellectually disabled people to live relatively independently. Physical activity and sport also increase their chances to integrate with their families, peers, and social environment.Materials and methods: The research targeted a group of 134 people with moderate or considerable intellectual disability (65 women and 69 men), aged 20-53 years, who participated in occupational therapy workshops in Jastrzębie Zdrój, Rybnik, and Żory. Physical fitness was assessed using the “Eurofit Special” test and balance tests. Measurements of body height and mass were also taken and then used to calculate the body mass index (BMI).Results: A salient somatic trait was the greater body mass relative to height among the persons with considerable disability, clearly illustrated by the BMI. This explained their greater heaviness in performing physical exercises. An even greater difference between participants with moderate and considerable intellectual disability was visible in physical fitness. Obviously, older persons did not achieve as good results in fitness tests as the younger ones, yet the participants were more differentiated by the level of disability than age. Most symptomatic differences to the disadvantage of the considerably disabled were observed in explosive strength, speed, abdominal muscle strength, and flexibility.Conclusions: Significant differences in fitness between the compared groups make it necessary to take into account the level of intellectual disability in the course of physical education and sport, at work, and in household duties.

Download Full-text

Evaluation functions for integral mapping

Geodesy and Cartography ◽

10.22389/0016-7126-2017-921-3-24-29 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 921 (3) ◽

pp. 24-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S.I. Lesnykh ◽

A.K. Cherkashin

Keyword(s):

Principal Component Analysis ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Principal Components ◽

Principal Component ◽

Evaluation Function ◽

Final Value ◽

Evaluation Functions ◽

Geographical Environment ◽

Environmental Background ◽

Integral Mapping

The proposed procedure of integral mapping is based on calculation of evaluation functions on the integral indicators (II) taking into account the feature of the local geographical environment, when geosystems in the same states in the different environs have various estimates. Calculation of II is realized with application of a Principal Component Analysis for processing of the forest database, allowing to consider in II the weight of each indicator (attribute). The final value of II is equal to a difference of the first (condition of geosystem) and the second (condition of environmental background) principal components. The evaluation functions are calculated on this value for various problems of integral mapping. The environmental factors of variability is excluded from final value of II, therefore there is an opportunity to find the invariant evaluation function and to determine coefficients of this function. Concepts and functions of the theory of reliability for making the evaluation maps of the hazard of functioning and stability of geosystems are used.

Download Full-text

Brief parental self-efficacy scales for promoting healthy eating and physical activity in children: a validation study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10581-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Åsa Norman ◽

Julie Wright ◽

Emma Patterson

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Construct Validity ◽

Sex Education ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Parental Education ◽

Weight Status ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Objective Measures ◽

Partial Metric ◽

Invariance Testing

Abstract Background Brief scales to measure parental self-efficacy (PSE) in relation to children’s obesogenic behaviours have not been developed and validated using more rigorous methodology such as invariance testing, limiting their generalisability to sub-groups. This study aimed to assess the construct validity and measurement invariance of brief PSE scales for children’s intake of vegetables, soft drinks, and sweets, and physical activity. Methods Parents (n = 242) of five-to-seven-year-old children in disadvantaged and culturally diverse settings in Sweden responded to a questionnaire in Swedish with 12 items assessing PSE in relation to healthy and unhealthy behaviours. Construct validity was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis, invariance testing compared the scales by groups of parental sex, education, and child weight status. Criterion validity was evaluated using objective measures of children’s physical activity and semi-objective measures of diet. Results Two-factor models showed moderate to excellent fit to the data. Invariance was supported across all groups for healthy behaviour scales. Unhealthy behaviour scales were invariant for all groups except parental education where partial metric invariance was supported. Scales were significantly correlated with physical activity and diet. Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence for the validity of brief PSE scales and invariance across groups suggesting their utility for research and clinical management of weight-related behaviours.

Download Full-text