Secular trend in body dimensions and development of regional growth standards for student youth of Altai Krai (Barnaul)

Abstract

Introduction. The article presents the preliminary results of the anthropological expedition to Barnaul, Altai Krai (Siberian Federal District), conducted in September 2023 in order to study long-term (over the past 70 years) changes in body sizes among modern youth in this region. One of the main practical tasks of the study was the development of relevant standards (reference tables) for assessing the level of physical development of students in Altai Krai. Materials and methods. The study group consisted of 295 young men and women aged 17–23, mainly (more than 92%) Russians by nationality. Subjects were examined according to a comprehensive anthropometric program including measurement of total body sizes, shoulder and pelvic breadths, trunk and limb circumferences, five skinfolds, and grip strength on right hand. Results. The average height of young males born in Barnaul increased by 10,5 cm across birth cohorts from the 1930s to the 2000-2006s. The rate of secular increase in height is about 1,5 cm per decade. Intergroup comparisons of body height in female samples from Barnaul demonstrated an increase in height in modern women by 5 cm compared with the cohorts born in the 1940s (about 0,8 cm per decade). Long-term changes in anthropometric parameters in Barnaul are comparable with the general secular trend in Russia and consistent with the hypothesis of the dominant influence of socio-economic factors on intergenerational transformation of the physique of children, adolescents, and young adults. Conclusion. Growth standards (reference tables) have been developed based on the results of the regression analysis between weight and height, to assess the indicators of physical development of students in Altai Krai. The reference tables provide the definition of groups with different levels of physical development: normal physical development, deviation of physical development due to a body weight deficit of the 1st and 2nd degree or due to an excess of body weight of the 1st and 2nd degree, stunting (low height).