This study re-examines secular height trends among 20-year-old Japanese males from the 1878-1917 birth cohorts using conscription examination records. The analysis compares urban centers, such as Tokyo and Osaka, with prefectures exhibiting higher initial average heights (e.g., Iwate and Tottori, >= 158.0 cm) and those with lower statures (e.g., Niigata, Saitama, and Kagawa, 155.5-155.7 cm). During the early stages of the Matsukata Deflation (1882-1883), despite a sharp decrease in the number of participants, height gains compared with the previous year (Delta height(it)) were observed: +0.7 cm in Kagawa, +0.4 cm in Saitama, and +0.3 cm in Tokyo. Similar trends, a reduction in participants alongside a rise in average height, occurred during the panic of 1890-1891. Furthermore, significant increase in height followed the 1879 cholera epidemic in Tokyo (+1.8 cm) and Osaka (+0.4 cm). By the 1910s, growth in these urban centers substantially exceeded the national average, despite high infant mortality rates. Conversely, the consistently shorter stature in Saitama was attributed to harsh labor conditions in wet-rice cultivation and sericulture. The first-difference regression coefficient of Delta height(it) for rural-born conscripts on the log-transformed difference in the number of participants, Delta ln(n(it)), is -0.4740 (p < 0.05) for the 1878-1898 birth cohorts, whereas it reverses to 0.9122 (p < 0.05) for the 1899-1917 birth cohorts. This reversal indicates that selection effect operated strongly in the first half of the period, while scarring effects became more dominant in the second half.
Objective: To assess the magnitude and speed secular trends in height and weight among children from 2003-04 to 2023-24 in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Methods: A total of 32,345 height data and 32,352 weight data for Hong Kong children aged 6-12 years were obtained from the Survey on Physical Fitness Status of Hong Kong School Pupils in 2003-04, 2005-06, 2010-11, 2015-16 and 2023-24. Analysis of variance was used to estimate the differences in means by sex and age. The pace of secular trends was expressed as the changes every decade across adjacent waves. Results: Across the study period, mean height increased by 1.7 cm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3 to 2.1 cm) in boys and 1.2 cm (95% CI: 0.8 to 1.7 cm) in girls. The average weight increase in boys was 0.4 kg (95% CI: -0.1 to 0.9 kg), while in girls it was a weight change of -0.3 kg (95% CI: -0.8 to 0.2 kg); neither change was statistically significant. The trends in height and weight for most age groups are consistent with the overall patterns. The greatest increases in height occurred between 2003-04 and 2015-16 in boys and girls, Boys increase 1.25 cm per decade, girls increase 1.2 cm per decade. The period with the smallest increase in height was from 2015-16 to 2023-24. The weight of both boys and girls continued to increase until 2015-16, after which it began to decline. Conclusions: Among Hong Kong children aged 6-12 years, secular gains in height were evident over the full period from 2003-04 to 2023-24, but these gains occurred mainly before 2015-16. Body weight increased in earlier survey waves but declined in the most recent period, resulting in no significant net change across the full study period. More policies and interventions are needed to promote children's growth and development.
The Polyoak (rural) and Green Point (urban) archaeological sites represent distinct populations in Cape Town during the 18th and 19th centuries. Dental pathology and macrowear in 55 individuals (595 teeth) were examined to assess overall health and diet. Despite limitations from skeletal fragmentation and commingling, which restricted age and sex estimation, the findings provide valuable insights into health conditions in the Cape during this period and demonstrate the contribution of bioarchaeological research to understanding past lived experiences. We recorded 868 pathological features, including linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), caries, and abscesses, indicating a biologically stressful environment. Women and individuals under 35 years showed the highest levels of stress, likely linked to nutritional constraints and infectious exposure. Rural Polyoak residents generally lived longer with better dental health and less abrasive wear. In contrast, urban residents at Green Point faced higher health risks associated with increased population density, abrasive diets, and tobacco use; evidenced by pipe-smokers wear in ten individuals. Furthermore, pronounced anterior macrowear across both sites suggests the use of teeth as a third hand for non-dietary tasks. These results highlight the distinct socio-cultural and health disparities between urban and rural environments in the colonial Cape.
Increases in humeral retroversion have been suggested to result from certain shoulder activities, especially throwing. Could retroversion also increase as a result of other upper extremity activities in addition to throwing? It was the purpose of this study to investigate humeral retroversion in the Nubian Tombos population (1400656 BCE) and correlate retroversion with entheseal changes which are used as an assessment of physical activity. Humeral retroversion was measured from photographs. Two photographs were used to define angles from the bony landmarks relative to the table surface, one directly superior to inferior, and one directly inferior to superior. From these photographs the skew humeral head and transepicondylar axes lines were drawn relative to the table plane, from which the axis/table plane angle was measured using ImageJ software. From these two angles the final retroversion was calculated. All lines were drawn by one senior orthopedic surgeon. Upper extremity entheseal scores, taken from a previous Tombos study using the same remains, were grouped as very low, low, high, and very high. Sex was estimated using standard archaeological protocols. Age at death was evaluated using transition analysis, and was grouped as 1524, 2534, 3549, 5069, and = 70 years old. There were 121 complete humeri available for study (61 right and 60 left). The average retroversion was 20 ° ± 10 °, and was 17.5 ° ± 9.6 °, 22.3 ° ± 8.7 °, 26.5 ° ± 11.8 °, 22.2 ° ± 5.9 ° for the very low, low, high, and very high entheseal score groups respectively (p = = 0.041). Those = 70 years old had a large number in the low entheseal score group while those 35 to 49 years old had the greatest number in the very high entheseal score group (p = 0.000001). There were no differences by sex, laterality, age, or burial cemetery. We hypothesize that those who were able to live to old age were better resourced with lower physical demands than other members of the community and thus developed less retroversion. Our results also indirectly support the postulate that an increase in general upper extremity physical activity may result in increased retroversion, and not exclusively due to throwing activities.
Adult height and body mass index (BMI) are among the fundamental somatic characteristics of humans and are shaped by the interplay of biological, familial, and environmental factors. An increasing body of research indicates the long-term importance of early-life conditions for traits observed in adulthood. This study aimed to assess the contribution of selected biological and family-related environmental determinants to variation in adult height and BMI among physical education students. An additional exploratory aim was to analyse potential correlates of age at menarche in women. The study included 267 physical education students (180 men and 87 women). Body height and body mass were measured, and data on birth parameters and family characteristics were collected, with the data obtained at the beginning of the 2025/2026 academic year. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression models. Adult height was significantly associated with the stature of both parents as well as with birth length and birth weight, with the high proportion of explained variance being partly attributable to the inclusion of sex in the models. BMI was associated with sex, birth weight, and maternal educational level, with a moderate degree of explained variance. No significant associations were found between age at menarche and the predictors included in the analysis. The findings highlight the importance of familial and early-life determinants for adult height in young adults, as well as the limited role of socioeconomic environmental factors in the population studied. Interpretation of the results for BMI requires consideration of the specific characteristics of a physically active population.
