Social conditioning of body height and mass in children and adolescents, as well as in adult inhabitants of the Konin Province, Poland.
This paper presents the socio-economic conditioning of somatic features in children and adolescents, as well as in adults, both men and women. The material used in the analysis was collected in 1990 in the Konin voivodeship (Poland). It comprises 1587-1608 boys and 2191-2213 girls at the age of 7-18 years. The adults consist of two groups: 1. aged 25-39 (3096 men and 4628 women), 2. aged 40-59 (4210 men and 3061 women). The metrical data comprise body height, body mass and BMI. Environmental (size of the district of residence) and social data (level of education and professional data of the parents) were taken into account. Multidimensional statistical analysis (step-wise) was applied to explain the variability of the somatic features under study in relation to the socio-environmental factors. It could be shown that the socio-environmental differentiation of the somatic features manifests itself in a different manner depending on the kind of feature, on the gender and on the age. In comparison with the girls the boys show a greater ecosensitivity of body height and mass and a lesser ecosensitivity concerning the BMI. Among all the factors describing "the quality of living conditions" the classically used indirect factors have a fundamental influence on the development of body height, body mass and BMI of boys, as well as on the body height of girls (e.g. parents' addiction to nicotine, physical effort). The social differentiation manifests itself most clearly in adult women's body mass and BMI and in men's body height. The level of education is a factor of relatively highest importance. It differentiates somatic features of men and women independently of their age (exceptions: body mass of younger women, BMI of older men). The occupational stratification differentiates women's somatic features (with the exception of the BMI of the older women) and body height of the younger men. The size of the district differentiates somatic features in younger women and men, apart from body height in men, and conditionally (Ha: one-sided) BMI in older women.
Grabowska
J
J
Department of Anthropology, University of Lodz, Poland.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D012924:Social Conditions; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors