@article{LehmannScheffler2016, author = {Lehmann, Andreas and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {What does the mean menarcheal age mean?An analysis of temporal pattern in variability in a historical swiss population from the 19th and 20th centuries}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {28}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-0533}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.22854}, pages = {705 -- 713}, year = {2016}, abstract = {ObjectivesAge at menarche is one of the most important factors when observing growth and development. The aim of this study was to assess the temporal pattern in variability of menarcheal age for a historic Swiss population from the 19th and 20th centuries. ResultsMean menarcheal age declined from 17.34 years (n=358) around 1830 to 13.80 years (n=141) around 1950. Within-cohort variance decreased from 7.5 to 2.1 year(2). Skewness was negatively correlated with birth year (r=-0.58). ConclusionThis study provided evidence for a secular trend in various statistical parameters for age at menarche since the 19th century. Furthermore, the results of the analysis of temporal pattern in variability revealed that the secular trend in menarcheal age happened in two phases. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:705-713, 2016. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerHermanussen2023, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {What does stunting tell us?}, series = {Human biology and public health}, volume = {2022}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, number = {3}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph2022.3.36}, pages = {1 -- 15}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Stunting is commonly linked with undernutrition. Yet, already after World War I, German pediatricians questioned this link and stated that no association exists between nutrition and height. Recent analyses within different populations of Low- and middle-income countries with high rates of stunted children failed to support the assumption that stunted children have a low BMI and skinfold sickness as signs of severe caloric deficiency. So, stunting is not a synonym of malnutrition. Parental education level has a positive influence on body height in stunted populations, e.g., in India and in Indonesia. Socially disadvantaged children tend to be shorter and lighter than children from affluent families. Humans are social mammals; they regulate growth similar to other social mammals. Also in humans, body height is strongly associated with the position within the social hierarchy, reflecting the personal and group-specific social, economic, political, and emotional environment. These non-nutritional impact factors on growth are summarized by the concept of SEPE (Social-Economic-Political-Emotional) factors. SEPE reflects on prestige, dominance-subordination, social identity, and ego motivation of individuals and social groups.}, language = {en} } @misc{BoekerHermanussenScheffler2021, author = {Boeker, Sonja and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Westernization of self-perception in modern affluent Indonesian school children}, series = {Human Biology and Public Health}, volume = {2021}, journal = {Human Biology and Public Health}, number = {1}, editor = {Scheffler, Christiane and Koziel, Slawomir and Hermanussen, Michael and Bogin, Barry}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph.v1.4}, pages = {1 -- 13}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Background Subjective Social Status is used as an important predictor for psychological and physiological findings, most commonly measured with the MacArthur Scale (Ladder Test). Previous studies have shown that this test fits better in Western cultures. The idea of a social ladder itself and ranking oneself "higher" or "lower" is a concept that accords to the Western thinking. Objectives We hypothesize that in a culture where only the elites have adapted to a Western lifestyle, the test results reflect a higher level of accuracy for this stratum. We also expect that self-perception differs per sex. Sample and Methods We implemented the Ladder Test in a study of Indonesian schoolchildren aged between 5 and 13 years (boys N = 369, girls N= 364) from non-private and private schools in Kupang in 2020. Results Our analysis showed that the Ladder Test results were according to the Western expectations only for the private school, as the Ladder Scores significantly decreased with age (LM: p = 0.04). The Ladder Test results are best explained by "Education Father" for the non-private school pupils (p = 0.01) and all boys (p = 0.04), by "School Grades" for the private school cohort (p = 0.06) and by "Household Score" for girls (p =0.09). Conclusion This finding indicates that the concept of ranking oneself "high" or "low" on a social ladder is strongly implicated with Western ideas. A ladder implies social movement by "climbing" up or down. According to that, reflection of self-perception is influenced by culture.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenBilogubLindletal.2018, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Bilogub, Maria and Lindl, A. C. and Harper, D. and Mansukoski, L. and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Weight and height growth of malnourished school-age children during re-feeding}, series = {European journal of clinical nutrition}, volume = {72}, journal = {European journal of clinical nutrition}, number = {12}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {0954-3007}, doi = {10.1038/s41430-018-0274-z}, pages = {1603 -- 1619}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Background In view of the ongoing debate on "chronic malnutrition" and the concept of "stunting" as "a better measure than underweight of the cumulative effects of undernutrition and infection (WHO)", we translate, briefly comment and republish three seminal historic papers on catch-up growth following re-feeding after severe food restriction of German children during and after World War I. The observations were published in 1920 and 1922, and appear to be of particular interest to the modern nutritionist. Results The papers of Abderhalden (1920) and Bloch (1920) describe German children of all social strata who were born shortly before World War I, and raised in apparently "normal" families. After severe long-standing undernutrition, they participated in an international charity program. They experienced exceptional catch-up growth in height of 3-5 cm within 6-8 weeks. Goldstein (1922) observed 512 orphans and children from underprivileged families. Goldstein described very different growth patterns. These children were much shorter (mean height between -2.0 and -2.8 SDS, modern WHO reference). They mostly failed to catch-up in height, but tended to excessively increase in weight particularly during adolescence.}, language = {en} } @article{MummHermanussenScheffler2016, author = {Mumm, Rebekka and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {voice break as the marker of biological age}, series = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, volume = {105}, journal = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0803-5253}, doi = {10.1111/apa.13488}, pages = {e459 -- e463}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Aim: We aimed to develop the first references for body height, body weight and body mass index (BMI) for boys based on the individual developmental tempo with respect to their voice break status. Methods: We re-analysed data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS study) on body height, body weight and body mass index based on the voice break, or mutation, in 3956 boys aged 10-17 years. We used the LMS method to construct smoothed references centiles for the studied variables in premutational, mutational and postmutational boys. Results: Body height, body weight and BMI differed significantly (p < 0.001) between the different stages of voice break. On average, boys were 5.9 cm taller, 5.8 kg heavier and had a 0.7 kg/m(2) higher BMI with every higher stage of voice break. Currently used growth references for chronological age in comparison with maturity-related references led to an average of 5.4\% of boys being falsely classified as overweight.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerNguyenHermanussen2021, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Nguyen, Thi Hong and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Vietnamese migrants are as tall as they want to be}, series = {Human biology and public health}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, number = {2}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph.v2.12}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Background: Members of the same social group tent to have the same body height. Migrants tend to adjust in height to their host communities. Objectives: Social-Economic-Political-Emotional (SEPE) factors influence growth. We hypothesized that Vietnamese young adult migrants in Germany (1) are taller than their parents, (2) are as tall as their German peers, and (3) are as tall as predicted by height expectation at age 13 years. Sample: The study was conducted in 30 male and 54 female Vietnamese migrants (mean age 26.23 years. SD=4.96) in Germany in 2020. Methods: Information on age, sex, body height, school and education, job, height and ethnicity of best friend, migration history and cultural identification, parental height and education, and recalled information on their personal height expectations at age 13 years were obtained by questionnaire. The data were analyzed by St. Nicolas House Analysis (SNHA) and multiple regression. Results: Vietnamese young adults are taller than their parents (females 3.85cm, males 7.44cm), but do not fully attain height of their German peers. The body height is positively associated with the height of best friend (p < 0.001), the height expectation at age 13 year (p < 0.001), and father's height (p=0.001). Conclusion: Body height of Vietnamese migrants in Germany reflects competitive growth and strategic growth adjustments. The magnitude of this intergenerational trend supports the concept that human growth depends on SEPE factors.}, language = {en} } @article{KetelhutBittmannScheffleretal.2003, author = {Ketelhut, Kerstin and Bittmann, Frank and Scheffler, Christiane and Morgenstern, Ulrike}, title = {Vergleichsuntersuchung {\"u}ber K{\"o}rpermaße und motorische F{\"a}higkeiten bei Kindern}, year = {2003}, language = {de} } @article{SchefflerVoigt2008, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Voigt, Andrea}, title = {Vergleich statischer und dynamischer K{\"o}rpermaße von J{\"u}ngeren (20 - 29 Jahre) und {\"A}lteren (50 - 85 Jahre)}, isbn = {978-3-88383-734-2}, year = {2008}, language = {de} } @article{Scheffler2001, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Vergleich ausgew{\"a}hlter Bewegungsabl{\"a}ufe beim Menschen in Abh{\"a}ngigkeit vom Alter und K{\"o}rperbau}, isbn = {3-89873-228-2}, year = {2001}, language = {de} } @article{KetelhutMohassebGerickeetal.2005, author = {Ketelhut, Kerstin and Mohasseb, Iman and Gericke, Christian and Scheffler, Christiane and Ketelhut, Reinhard G.}, title = {Verbesserung der Motorik und des kardiovaskul{\"a}ren Risikos durch Sport im fr{\"u}hen Kindesalter}, year = {2005}, language = {de} } @article{Scheffler2013, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Variable and Invariable Proportions in the Ontogenesis of the Human Face}, year = {2013}, language = {en} } @article{Scheffler2013, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Variable and invariable proportions in the ontogenesis of the human face}, series = {The journal of craniofacial surgery : an international journal dedicated to the practice of the art and science of craniofacial surgery ; official publication of the American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgeons}, volume = {24}, journal = {The journal of craniofacial surgery : an international journal dedicated to the practice of the art and science of craniofacial surgery ; official publication of the American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgeons}, number = {1}, publisher = {Lippincott Williams \& Wilkins}, address = {Philadelphia}, issn = {1049-2275}, doi = {10.1097/SCS.0b013e31826d07a3}, pages = {237 -- 241}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The human face shows individual features and features that are characteristic for sex and age (the loss of childlike characteristics during maturation). The analysis of facial dimensions is essential for identifying individual features also for forensic issues. The analysis of facial proportions was performed on photogrammetric data from front views of 125 children. The data were pooled from 2 different studies. The children's data were obtained from a longitudinal study and reduced by random generator to ensure the data of adults from a separate cross-sectional study. We applied principal component analysis on photogrammetric facial proportions of 169 individuals: 125 children (63 boys and 62 girls) aged 2-7 years and 44 adults (18 men and 26 women) aged 18-65 years. Facial proportions depend on age and sex. Three components described age: (1) proportions of facial height to head height, (2) proportions that involve endocanthal breadth, and (3) bigonial to bizygonial proportions. Proportions that associate with sex are connected with nasal distances and nasal to bizygonial distances. Twenty-three percent of the variance, particularly variance that are connected with proportions of lower and middle face heights to head height, do neither depend on sex nor on age and thus appear useful for screening purposes, eg, for dysmorphic genetic syndromes.}, language = {en} } @article{LehmannEccardScheffleretal.2018, author = {Lehmann, Andreas and Eccard, Jana and Scheffler, Christiane and Kurvers, Ralf H. J. M. and Dammhahn, Melanie}, title = {Under pressure: human adolescents express a pace-of-life syndrome}, series = {Behavioral ecology and sociobiology}, volume = {72}, journal = {Behavioral ecology and sociobiology}, number = {3}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0340-5443}, doi = {10.1007/s00265-018-2465-y}, pages = {15}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis posits that life-history characteristics, among individual differences in behavior, and physiological traits have coevolved in response to environmental conditions. This hypothesis has generated much research interest because it provides testable predictions concerning the association between the slow-fast life-history continuum and behavioral and physiological traits. Although humans are among the most well-studied species and similar concepts exist in the human literature, the POLS hypothesis has not yet been directly applied to humans. Therefore, we aimed to (i) test predicted relationships between life history, physiology, and behavior in a human population and (ii) better integrate the POLS hypothesis with other similar concepts. Using data of a representative sample of German adolescents, we extracted maturation status for girls (menarche, n = 791) and boys (voice break, n = 486), and a set of health-related risk-taking behaviors and cardiovascular parameters. Maturation status and health-related risk behavior as well as maturation status and cardiovascular physiology covaried in boys and girls. Fast maturing boys and girls had higher blood pressure and expressed more risk-taking behavior than same-aged slow maturing boys and girls, supporting general predictions of the POLS hypothesis. Only some physiological and behavioral traits were positively correlated, suggesting that behavioral and physiological traits might mediate life-history trade-offs differently. Moreover, some aspects of POLS were sex-specific. Overall, the POLS hypothesis shares many similarities with other conceptual frameworks from the human literature and these concepts should be united more thoroughly to stimulate the study of POLS in humans and other animals. Significance statement The pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis suggests that life history, behavioral and physiological traits have coevolved in response to environmental conditions. Here, we tested this link in a representative sample of German adolescents, using data from a large health survey (the KIGGs study) containing information on individual age and state of maturity for girls and boys, and a set of health-related risk-taking behaviors and cardiovascular parameters. We found that fast maturing girls and boys had overall higher blood pressure and expressed more risk-taking behavior than same-aged slow maturing girls and boys. Only some behavioral and physiological traits were positively correlated, suggesting that behavioral and physiological traits might mediate life-history trade-offs differently and not necessarily form a syndrome. Our results demonstrate a general link between life history, physiological and behavioral traits in humans, while simultaneously highlighting a more complex and rich set of relationships, since not all relationships followed predictions by the POLS hypothesis.}, language = {en} } @article{Scheffler2013, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Types of Body Shape}, series = {Auxology : Studying Human Growth and Development}, journal = {Auxology : Studying Human Growth and Development}, publisher = {Schweizerbart Science Publishers}, address = {Stuttgart}, isbn = {978-3-510-65278-5}, pages = {28 -- 29}, year = {2013}, language = {en} } @article{GomulaNowakSzczepanskaHermanussenetal.2020, author = {Gomula, Aleksandra and Nowak-Szczepanska, Natalia and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Koziel, Slawomir}, title = {Trends in growth and developmental tempo in boys aged 7 to 18 years between 1966 and 2012 in Poland}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {33}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-0533}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.23548}, pages = {7}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Objectives: To assess trends in growth in different developmental periods and trends in developmental tempo in Polish boys between 1966 and 2012. Methods: Data on 34 828 boys aged 7 to 18 years were collected during Polish Anthropological Surveys conducted in 1966, 1978, 1988, and 2012. Biological parameters, related to onset of adolescent growth spurt (OGS) and peak height velocity (PHV), were derived from a Preece-Baines 1 model (PB1). Childhood (height at 7 years of age), pre-adolescent (height at OGS) and adolescent growth (adult height minus height at OGS) were identified. Results: Positive secular trend between 1966 and 2012 in adult height accounted for, on average, 1.5 cm/decade, with varying intensity between the Surveys. Decline in both age at OGS and APHV between 1966 and 2012 (1.5 and 1.4 years, respectively) indicated an acceleration in developmental tempo, on average, by 0.3 year/decade. Increases in the contribution to the trend in adult height gained during growth in particular developmental periods between 1966 and 2012 were as followed-childhood: 0.6\%, pre-adolescent growth: -3.1\%, adolescent growth: 3.1\%. Conclusions: Secular trend in developmental tempo and growth among boys reflects changes in living conditions and socio-political aspirations in Poland during nearly 50 years. Acceleration in tempo is already visible at age at OGS, whereas the trend in adult height occurs largely during adolescence, pointing to different regulation of developmental tempo and growth in body height. This finding emphasizes the importance of extending public health intervention into children's growth up until adolescence.}, language = {en} } @article{ApanasewiczGrothScheffleretal.2020, author = {Apanasewicz, Anna and Groth, Detlef and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael and Piosek, Magdalena and Wychowaniec, Patrycja and Babiszewska, Magdalena and Barbarska, Olga and Ziomkiewicz, Anna}, title = {Traumatized women's infants are bigger than children of mothers without traumas}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger}, volume = {77}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart science publishers}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2020/1285}, pages = {359 -- 374}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Life history theory predicts that experiencing stress during the early period of life will result in accelerated growth and earlier maturation. Indeed, animal and some human studies documented a faster pace of growth in the offspring of stressed mothers. Recent advances in epigenetics suggest that the effects of early developmental stress might be passed across the generations. However, evidence for such intergenerational transmission is scarce, at least in humans. Here we report the results of the study investigating the association between childhood trauma in mothers and physical growth in their children during the first months of life. Anthropometric and psychological data were collected from 99 mothers and their exclusively breastfed children at the age of 5 months. The mothers completed the Early Life Stress Questionnaire to assess childhood trauma. The questionnaire includes questions about the most traumatic events that they had experienced before the age of 12 years. Infant growth was evaluated based on the anthropometric measurements of weight, length, and head circumference. Also, to control for the size of maternal investment, the composition of breast milk samples taken at the time of infant anthropometric measurements was investigated. The children of mothers with higher early life stress tended to have higher weight and bigger head circumference. The association between infant anthropometrics and early maternal stress was not affected by breast milk composition, suggesting that the effect of maternal stress on infant growth was independent of the size of maternal investment. Our results demonstrate that early maternal trauma may affect the pace of growth in the offspring and, in consequence, lead to a faster life history strategy. This effect might be explained via changes in offspring epigenetics.}, language = {en} } @article{LehmannSchefflerHermanussen2010, author = {Lehmann, Andreas and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {The variation in age at menarche : an indicator of historic developmental tempo}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/0003-5548/2010/0086}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Ample literature describes the history of the association between the advances in the health and wealth of people, and mortality rates, life expectancy and adult height. Twentynine German studies with n > 200 subjects published since 1848 on menarcheal age, were reanalyzed, and 101 studies from various other European and non-European countries. On average, mean age at menarche declined since the mid-19(th) century. Historic urban samples tended to decline earlier than rural groups, upper class women earlier than working class women. In Germany, minimum values for the age at menarche were seen already between the two World Wars (Leipzig 12.6 years in 1934, Halle 13.3 years in 1939). Values for mean age and SD for age at menarche were strongly associated. With improving historic circumstances, the two parameters declined in parallel. The standard deviation for menarcheal age dropped from over 2.5 years in mid-19th century France to little more or even less than 1 year in most modern countries. In the German studies the correlation between menarcheal age and SD was almost complete with r = 0.96 (y = 0.35x - 3.53). Similar associations between mean age at menarche and SD for age were found in other European countries. The obvious and immediate effects of historic events on menarcheal age, and particularly on the age distribution, indicate that menarche is a sensitive indicator of public health and wealth, and may be an appropriate estimator for the socio-economic background of historic populations.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{GniosdorzScheffler2011, author = {Gniosdorz, Birgit and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {The variability of bone strength and skeletal robustness of young men - how it can be influenced}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {68}, booktitle = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {4}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, pages = {497 -- 498}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenErofeevScheffler2022, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Erofeev, Sergei and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {The socio-endocrine regulation of human growth}, series = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, journal = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0803-5253}, doi = {10.1111/apa.16504}, pages = {5}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Aim Growth is a multifarious phenomenon that has been studied by nutritionists, economists, paediatric endocrinologists; archaeologists, child psychologists and other experts. Yet, a unifying theory of understanding growth regulation is still lacking. Method Critical review of the literature. Results We summarise evidence linking social competition and its effect on hierarchies in social structures, with the neuronal networks of the ventromedial hypothalamus and body size. The endocrine signalling system regulating growth hormone, Insulin-like-Growth-Factor1 and skeletal growth, is well conserved in the evolution of vertebrata for some 400 million years. The link between size and status permits adaptive plasticity, competitive growth and strategic growth adjustments also in humans. Humans perceive size as a signal of dominance with tallness being favoured and particularly prevalent in the upper social classes. Conclusion Westernised societies are competitive. People are tall, and "open to change." Social values include striving for status and prestige implying socio-economic domination. We consider the transition of political and social values following revolutions and civil wars, as key elements that interact with the evolutionarily conserved neuroendocrine competence for adaptive developmental plasticity, overstimulate the hypothalamic growth regulation and finally lead to the recent historic increases in average height.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BrinkmannScheffler2011, author = {Brinkmann, Stefanie and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {The relation between anthropometric measures of the body and back pain of nurses under work-related physical stress}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {68}, booktitle = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {4}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, pages = {490 -- 491}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @article{LebedevaGrothHermanussenetal.2019, author = {Lebedeva, Lidia and Groth, Detlef and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Godina, Elena}, title = {The network effects on conscripts' height in the central provinces of Russian empire in the middle of XIX century}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {76}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2019/0984}, pages = {371 -- 377}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background: We investigated average body height in the central provinces of the Russian empire in the middle of XIX century in view of the concept of "community effects on height". We analyzed body height correlations between neighboring districts at this time. We added information about secular changes in body height during the 19th century of this territory. Material and methods: The study used height data of conscripts, which were born in the years 1853-1863, and age 21 at the time of measurement. The territory of seven provinces was considered as a network with 105 nodes, each node representing one district with information on average male body height. In order to define neighboring districts three different approaches were used: based on the "common borders" method, based on Euclidean distances (from 60 to 120 km), based on real road connections. Results: Small but significant correlation coefficients were observed between 1st order districts in the network based on Euclidean distance of 100 km (r = 0.256, p-value = 0.006) and based on "the common borders" approach (r = 0.25, p-value = 0.02). Wherein no significant correlations were observed in the network based on road connections and between second order neighbors regardless of the method. Conclusion: Height correlation coefficients between 1st order neighboring districts observed in the Russian districts were very similar to values observed in the Polish study (r = 0.24). The considered Russian territory and the territory of Poland have a lot in common. They consist of both plains without mountains. In contradistinction to Poland the transport infrastructure in Russia was weakly developed in the middle of XIX century. In addition, the mobility of people was limited by serfdom. In this context the absent of significant correlation of second order neighbors can be explained by low population density and lack of migration and communication between the districts.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerKetelhutMohassebetal.2004, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Ketelhut, Kerstin and Mohasseb, Iman and Ketelhut, Reinhard G.}, title = {The influence of an exercise program on body composition, motor and cardiovascular parameters in pre-school children : a longitudinal study}, isbn = {88-87814-25-2}, year = {2004}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenBoginScheffler2019, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Bogin, Barry and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {The impact of social identity and social dominance on the regulation of human growth: A viewpoint}, series = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, volume = {108}, journal = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, number = {12}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0803-5253}, doi = {10.1111/apa.14970}, pages = {2132 -- 2134}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @article{Scheffler2011, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {The change of skeletal robustness of 6-12 years old children in Brandenburg (Germany) - Comparison of body composition 1999-2009}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {68}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {2}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/0003-5548/2011/0095}, pages = {153 -- 165}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Overweight as a global problem is a challenge to the health systems today and in the future. Detailed information about the development of body composition in children can help to design preventive measures to stop this trend. In the present study 1397 German children aged 6-12 complete years were investigated with anthropometric methods (i.e. height, weight, BMI, skeleton robustness, and percentage of body fat) in 2008/09. The results were compared with a 10 years old identical study. Today, the investigated children are a little bit smaller and the range of BMI and percentage of body fat is increasing. The large decrease of the skeletal robustness especially in the 10(th) and 3(rd) percentile is important. Decrease of physical activity as the most important reason for shrinking skeletal robustness is discussed.}, language = {en} } @article{Scheffler2011, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {The change of skeletal robustness of 6 - 12 years old children in Brandenburg (Germany) - Comparison of body composition 1999 - 2009}, issn = {0003-5548}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerGreilHermanussen2017, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Greil, Holle and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {The association between weight, height, and head circumference reconsidered}, series = {Pediatric Research}, volume = {81}, journal = {Pediatric Research}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {New York}, issn = {0031-3998}, doi = {10.1038/pr.2017.3}, pages = {825 -- 830}, year = {2017}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Under normal nutritional and health conditions, body height, weight and head circumference are significantly related. We hypothesize that the apparent general association between weight, height, and head circumference of the growing child might be misleading. METHODS: We reanalyzed data of 7,444 boys and 7,375 girls measured in East-Germany between 1986 and 1990, aged from 0 to 7 y with measurements of body length/height, leg length, sitting height, biacromial shoulder breadth, thoracic breadth, thoracic depth, thoracic circumference, body weight, head volume, percentage of body fat, and hip skinfold vertical, using principal component analysis. RESULTS: Strong associations exist between skeletal growth, fat accumulation, and head volume increments. Yet in spite of this general proportionality, skeletal growth, fat acquisition, and head growth exhibit different patterns. Three components explain between almost 60\% and more than 75\% of cumulative variance between birth and age 7 y. Parameters of skeletal growth predominantly load on the first component and clearly separate from indicators of fat deposition. After age of 2 y, head volume loads on a separate third component in both sexes indicating independence of head growth. CONCLUSION: Under appropriate nutritional and health circumstances, nutritional status, body size, and head circumference are not related.}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenBoginScheffler2018, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Bogin, Barry and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Stunting, starvation and refeeding}, series = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, volume = {107}, journal = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, number = {7}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0803-5253}, doi = {10.1111/apa.14311}, pages = {1166 -- 1176}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Aim: To scrutinize to what extent modern ideas about nutrition effects on growth are supported by historic observations in European populations. Method: We reviewed 19th and early 20th century paediatric journals in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, the third largest European library with an almost complete collection of the German medical literature. During a three-day visit, we inspected 15 bookshelf meters of literature not available in electronic format. Results: Late 19th and early 20th century breastfed European infants and children, independent of social strata, grew far below World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and 15-30\% of adequately-fed children would be classified as stunted by the WHO standards. Historic sources indicate that growth in height is largely independent of the extent and nature of the diet. Height catch-up after starvation was greater than catch-up reported in modern nutrition intervention studies, and allowed for unimpaired adult height. Conclusion: Historical studies are indispensable to understand why stunting does not equate with undernutrition and why modern diet interventions frequently fail to prevent stunting. Appropriateness and effect size of modern nutrition interventions on growth need revision.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerHermanussen2021, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Stunting does not impair physical fitness in Indonesian school children}, series = {Human biology and public health}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, number = {2}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph.v2.19}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Background: Physical fitness is decreased in malnourished children and adults. Poor appearance and muscular flaccidity are among the first signs of malnutrition. Malnutrition is often associated with stunting. Objectives: We test the hypotheses that stunted children of low social strata are physically less fit than children of high social strata. Sample: We investigated 354 school girls and 369 school boys aged 5.83 to 13.83 (mean 9.54) years from three different social strata in Kupang (West-Timor, Indonesia) in 2020. Methods: We measured height, weight, and elbow breadth, calculated standard deviation (SDS) of height and weight according to CDC references, and the Frame index as an indicator of long-term physical fitness, and we tested physical fitness in standing long jump and hand grip strength. Results: Children of low social strata are physically fittest. They jump longer distances, and they have higher values in the Frame index. No association exists between height SDS and physical fitness, neither in respect to standing long jump, nor to hand grip strength. Conclusion: Stunting does not impair physical fitness in Indonesian school children. Our results support the concept that SEPE (social-economic-political-emotional) factors are involved in the regulation of human growth.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerHermanussenRogol2021, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael and Rogol, Alan D.}, title = {Stunting}, series = {Archives of disease in childhood : a peer review journal for health professionals and researchers covering conception to adolescence}, volume = {106}, journal = {Archives of disease in childhood : a peer review journal for health professionals and researchers covering conception to adolescence}, number = {8}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group}, address = {London}, issn = {0003-9888}, doi = {10.1136/archdischild-2020-319240}, pages = {819 -- 820}, year = {2021}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenIpsenMummetal.2016, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Ipsen, Josefin and Mumm, Rebekka and Assmann, Christian and Quitmann, Julia and Gomula, Aleksandra and Lehmann, Andreas and Jasch, Isabelle and Tassenaar, Vincent and Bogin, Barry and Satake, Takashi and Scheffler, Christiane and Nunez, Javier and Godina, Elena and Hardeland, Ruediger and Boldsen, Jesper L. and El-Shabrawi, Mortada and Elhusseini, Mona and Barbu, Carmen Gabriela and Pop, Ralucca and Soederhaell, Jani and Merker, Andrea and Swanson, James and Groth, Detlef}, title = {Stunted Growth. Proceedings of the 23rd Aschauer Soiree, Held at Aschauhof, Germany, November 7th 2015}, series = {Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews}, volume = {13}, journal = {Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews}, publisher = {Medical Media}, address = {Netanya}, issn = {1565-4753}, pages = {756 -- 767}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Twenty-four scientists met at Aschauhof, Altenhof, Germany, to discuss the associations between child growth and development, and nutrition, health, environment and psychology. Meta-analyses of body height, height variability and household inequality, in historic and modern growth studies published since 1794, highlighting the enormously flexible patterns of child and adolescent height and weight increments throughout history which do not only depend on genetics, prenatal development, nutrition, health, and economic circumstances, but reflect social interactions. A Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth Questionnaire was presented to cross-culturally assess health-related quality of life in children. Changes of child body proportions in recent history, the relation between height and longevity in historic Dutch samples and also measures of body height in skeletal remains belonged to the topics of this meeting. Bayesian approaches and Monte Carlo simulations offer new statistical tools for the study of human growth.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Scheffler2018, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Studies on plasticity within the universal pattern of growth and developmet of children and adolescents}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {207}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The anatomically modern human Homo sapiens sapiens is distinguished by a high adaptability in physiology, physique and behaviour in short term changing environmental conditions. Since our environmental factors are constantly changing because of anthropogenic influences, the question arises as to how far we have an impact on the human phenotype in the very sensitive growth phase in children and adolescents. Growth and development of all children and adolescents follow a universal and typical pattern. This pattern has evolved as the result of trade-offs in the 6-7 million years of human evolution. This typically human growth pattern differs from that of other long-living social primate species. It can be divided into different biological age stages, with specific biological, cognitive and socio-cultural signs. Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to react to an internal or external environmental input with a change in the form, state, and movement rate of activity (West-Eberhard 2003). The plasticity becomes visible and measurable particularly when, in addition to the normal variability of the phenotypic characteristics within a population, the manifestation of this plasticity changes within a relatively short time. The focus of the present work is the comparison of age-specific dimensional changes. The basic of the presented studies are more than 75,000 anthropometric data-sets of children and adolescence from 1980 up today and historical data of height available in scientific literature. Due to reduced daily physical activity, today's 6-18 year-olds have lower values of pelvic and elbow breadths. The observed increase in body height can be explained by hierarchies in social networks of human societies, contrary to earlier explanations (influence of nutrition, good living conditions and genetics). A shift towards a more feminine fat distribution pattern in boys and girls is parallel to the increase in chemicals in our environment that can affect the hormone system. Changing environmental conditions can have selective effects over generations so that that genotype becomes increasingly prevalent whose individuals have a higher progeny rate than other individuals in this population. Those then form the phenotype which allows optimum adaptation to the changes of the environmental conditions. Due to the slow patterns of succession and the low progeny rate (Hawkes et al. 1998), fast visible in the phenotype due to changes in the genotype of a population are unlikely to occur in the case of Homo sapiens sapiens within short time. In the data sets on which the presented investigations are based, such changes appear virtually impossible. The study periods cover 5-30 to max.100 years (based on data from the body height from historical data sets).}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenSchefflerGrothetal.2019, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Groth, Detlef and Bogin, Barry}, title = {Student work on trends in infant and child growth}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger : Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {76}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger : Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2019/1052}, pages = {363 -- 364}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @article{NothGreilLangeetal.2001, author = {Noth, Veronika and Greil, Holle and Lange, Elke and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Strategien zur Handhabung von Verschl{\"u}ssen im Kleinkind- und Vorschulalter}, year = {2001}, language = {de} } @article{NothGreilScheffleretal.2001, author = {Noth, Veronika and Greil, Holle and Scheffler, Christiane and Lange, E.}, title = {Strategien bei der Handhabung von Verschl{\"u}ssen im Kleinkind- und Vorschulalter}, series = {Brandenburgische Umwelt-Berichte : BUB ; Schriftenreihe der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakult{\"a}t der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, volume = {10}, journal = {Brandenburgische Umwelt-Berichte : BUB ; Schriftenreihe der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakult{\"a}t der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, issn = {1434-2375}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-3916}, pages = {77 -- 86}, year = {2001}, language = {de} } @article{HermanussenScheffler2016, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Stature signals status: The association of stature, status and perceived dominance - a thought experiment}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\~A}¼r Anthropologie}, volume = {73}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\~A}¼r Anthropologie}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2016/0698}, pages = {265 -- 274}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background: There is a common perception that tall stature results in social dominance. Evidence in meerkats suggests that social dominance itself may be a strong stimulus for growth. Relative size serves as the signal for individuals to induce strategic growth adjustments. Aim: We construct a thought experiment to explore the potential consequences of the question: is stature a social signal also in humans? We hypothesize that (1) upward trends in height in the lower social strata are perceived as social challenges yielding similar though attenuated upward trends in the dominant strata, and that (2) democratization, but also periods of political turmoil that facilitate upward mobility of the lower strata, are accompanied by upward trends in height. Material and methods: We reanalyzed large sets of height data of European conscripts born between 1856-1860 and 1976-1980; and annual data of German military conscripts, born between 1965 and 1985, with information on height and school education. Results: Taller stature is associated with higher socioeconomic status. Historic populations show larger height differences between social strata that tend to diminish in the more recent populations. German height data suggest that both democratization, and periods of political turmoil facilitating upward mobility of the lower social strata are accompanied by a general upward height spiral that captures the whole population. Discussion: We consider stature as a signal. Nutrition, health, general living conditions and care giving are essential prerequisites for growth, yet not to maximize stature, but to allow for its function as a lifelong social signal. Considering stature as a social signal provides an elegant explanation of the rapid height adjustments observed in migrants, of the hitherto unexplained clustering of body height in modern and historic cohorts of military conscripts, and of the parallelism between changes in political conditions, and secular trends in adult human height since the 19th century.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenGrothScheffler2020, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Groth, Detlef and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Statistical approaches to developmental and growth data of children and adolescents}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {77}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2020/1302}, pages = {355 -- 357}, year = {2020}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerGniosdorzStaubetal.2014, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Gniosdorz, Birgit and Staub, Kaspar and R{\"u}hli, Frank}, title = {Skeletal robustness and bone strength as measured by anthropometry and ultrasonography as a function of physical activity in young adults}, year = {2014}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerGniosdorzStaubetal.2014, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Gniosdorz, Birgit and Staub, Kaspar and Ruehli, Frank}, title = {Skeletal Robustness and Bone Strength as Measured by Anthropometry and Ultrasonography as a Function of Physical Activity in Young Adults}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {26}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-0533}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.22504}, pages = {215 -- 220}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background: During the last 10 years, skeletal robustness in children has generally decreased. The reasons for this phenomenon, as well as its outcomes, are undetermined so far. Aim: The present study explores the association between anthropometric skeletal measurements, bone quality measurements, and physical activity in young adults. Subjects and Methods: 118 German young men (N=568; 19-25 years old) and women (N=550; 19-24 years old) were investigated by anthropometric methods (i. e., height, weight, shoulder, elbow breadth, and pelvic breadth) and quantitative ultrasound measurement (QUS). Strength and stability of Os calcis have been determined by speed of sound (in m/s) and broadband ultrasound attenuation (in dB/Mhz); individual physical activity was analyzed by a pedometer and by questionnaire. Results: The results show a correlation between sports hours per week and bone quality index in males. But no correlation exists between anthropometric data and QUSs for either sexes, as well as no correlation between total steps per day and internal bone quality or external bone dimensions. Conclusion: These results are discussed in the context of generally decreasing physical activity, the outcomes of prevention programs as well as evolutionary adaptation of human phenotypic plasticity in a changing environment.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenLehmannScheffler2012, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Lehmann, Andreas and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Sexuelle Reifeentwicklung \& Menarchealter : Bedeutung des psychosozialen Umfeldes damals und heute}, issn = {0179-9185}, year = {2012}, language = {de} } @article{HermanussenWeickScheffler2017, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Weick, Stefan and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Severe postwar malnutrition did not have a negative impact on the earnings and subsequent pensions of German men born in 1945-1948}, series = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, volume = {106}, journal = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0803-5253}, doi = {10.1111/apa.13945}, pages = {1630 -- 1634}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Aim: Poverty has often been associated with malnutrition, stunted growth, impaired cognitive development and poor earnings. We studied whether these associations were found in German men born and raised shortly after World War II during severe and long-standing nationwide malnutrition. Methods: We analysed German old-age pension payments, as a rough measure of lifetime earnings, in German men born from 1932 to 1960 and compared the at-risk-of-poverty rates of German men born in 1945-1948 versus 1935-1938 and 1955-1958. Results: Substantially fewer women worked during this period and their longer life expectancy makes their pension payments difficult to interpret. We therefore limited our analysis to men. Men born in the 1930s received the highest monthly old-age pensions and these declined slightly in men born from 1945 to 1948, indicating a minute impairment in work-related income in cohorts born shortly after the war. We also found that there was no evidence for increased at-risk-of-poverty rates in men born in 1945-1948 versus those born in 1935-1938 and in 1955-1958. Conclusion: Being born and raised following World War II was associated with a minute work and pension impairment that was not visible in the at-risk-of-poverty rates. These findings question statements associating early childhood nutrition and future lifetime earnings.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenScheffler2020, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Secular trends in gestational weight gain and parity on birth weight}, series = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, volume = {110}, journal = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0803-5253}, doi = {10.1111/apa.15678}, pages = {1094 -- 1096}, year = {2020}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenSchefflerPulunganetal.2020, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Pulungan, Aman B. and Batubara, Jose R. L. and Julia, Madarina and Bogin, Barry}, title = {Response to the correspondence referring to our article "Stunting is not a synonym of malnutrition" (2018EJCN0997RR) by Conny Tanjung, Titis Prawitasari, Damayanti Rusli Sjarif}, series = {European journal of clinical nutrition}, volume = {74}, journal = {European journal of clinical nutrition}, number = {3}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {New York, NY}, issn = {0954-3007}, doi = {10.1038/s41430-020-0571-1}, pages = {529 -- 531}, year = {2020}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerHermanussen2022, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Reply to the letter titled: "Pathologizing normal height or identifying chronic malnutrition: Public health concerns of calling stunting normal" / by Nafis Faizi, Mohd Yasir Zubair and Fazeelah Tasleem'. - New York, NY [u.a.] : Wiley Interscience. - 2022. - (American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council, 16 Feb 2022. - 34(2022) 5 ). - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23735}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Association}, volume = {34}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Association}, number = {5}, publisher = {Wiley Interscience}, address = {New York, NY [u.a.]}, issn = {1520-6300}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.23741}, pages = {2}, year = {2022}, language = {en} } @article{KetelhutMohassebScheffleretal.2004, author = {Ketelhut, Kerstin and Mohasseb, Iman and Scheffler, Christiane and Ketelhut, Reinhard G.}, title = {Regular exercise improves risk profile and motor development in early childhood}, year = {2004}, language = {en} } @article{ReimannBeyerMummetal.2019, author = {Reimann, Anna and Beyer, Rudolf and Mumm, Rebekka and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Reference tables with centiles of limb to body height ratios of healthy human adults for assessing potential thalidomide embryopathy}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {76}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2019/0981}, pages = {391 -- 400}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background: Over 60 years ago the biggest drug catastrophe in Germany took place. The drug thalidomide, sold by the German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grunenthal GmbH starting in 1957 under the name "Contergan", caused severe birth defects in newborns. Chemie Grunenthal withdraw Contergan in 1961. Until nearly 30 years later in 1988 there were already over 10.000 children born with severe birth defects (e.g. dysmelia, amelia, congenital heart defect). Due to the high variability of the birth defects caused by thalidomide, later called thalidomide embryopathy, there is still no detailed information about the proportions of limbs. Aim: The aim is to develop reference centiles for limb measurements of men and women aged 19-70 years old. Method: For the calculation, data of healthy men and women (m = 2984, f = 2838) from former East Germany were used and centiles using the LMS-method were developed. Results: Centile tables for arm and leg length of men and women are presented in the results. The variability is small due to a homogeneous distribution of the measurements. A test with randomly chosen patient data shows that women under 171 cm stature and men under 180 cm stature can be assessed correctly. A severe shortening of limbs can be detected with this method.}, language = {en} } @article{JoppSchefflerHermanussen2014, author = {Jopp, Eilin and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Prevention and anthropology}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {71}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {1-2}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/0003-5548/2014/0384}, pages = {135 -- 141}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Screening is an important issue in medicine and is used to early identify unrecognised diseases in persons who are apparently in good health. Screening strongly relies on the concept of "normal values". Normal values are defined as values that are frequently observed in a population and usually range within certain statistical limits. Screening for obesity should start early as the prevalence of obesity consolidates already at early school age. Though widely practiced, measuring BMI is not the ultimate solution for detecting obesity. Children with high BMI may be "robust" in skeletal dimensions. Assessing skeletal robustness and in particularly assessing developmental tempo in adolescents are also important issues in health screening. Yet, in spite of the necessity of screening investigations, appropriate reference values are often missing. Meanwhile, new concepts of growth diagrams have been developed. Stage line diagrams are useful for tracking developmental processes over time. Functional data analyses have efficiently been used for analysing longitudinal growth in height and assessing the tempo of maturation. Convenient low-cost statistics have also been developed for generating synthetic national references.}, language = {en} } @article{RoeslerGasparatosHermanussenetal.2022, author = {R{\"o}sler, Antonia and Gasparatos, Nikolaos and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Practicability and user-friendliness of height measurements by proof of concept APP using Augmented Reality, in 22 healthy children}, series = {Human biology and public health}, volume = {2022}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, number = {2}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph2022.2.48}, pages = {9}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background: Child growth is a dynamic process. When measured at short intervals, children's growth shows characteristic patterns that can be of great importance for clinical purposes. Objective: To study whether measuring height on a daily basis using an APP is practicable and user-friendly. Methods: Recruitment took place via Snowball Sampling. Thirteen out of 14 contacted families signed up for a study period of 12 weeks with altogether 22 healthy children aged 3 to 13 years (response rate 93\%). The study started with a visit to the family home for the setup of the measurement site, conventional height measuring and initial training of the new measurement process. Follow-up appointments were made at four, eight and 12 weeks. The children's height was measured at daily intervals at their family homes over a period of three months. Results: The parents altogether recorded 1704 height measurements and meticulously documented practicability and problems when using the device. A 93\% response rate in recruitment was achieved by maintaining a high motivation within the families. Contact with the principal investigator was permanently available, including open communication, personal training and attendance during the appointments at the family homes. Conclusion: Measuring height by photographic display is interesting for children and parents and can be used for height measurements at home. A positive response rate of 13 out of 14 families with altogether 22 children highlights feasible recruitment and the high convenience and user-friendliness of daily APP-supported height measurements. Daily APP measurements appear to be a promising new tool for longitudinal growth studies.}, language = {en} } @article{MartinDorjeeGrothetal.2020, author = {Martin, Lidia and Dorjee, Binu and Groth, Detlef and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Positive influence of parental education on growth of children}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger}, volume = {77}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart science publishers}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2020/1177}, pages = {375 -- 387}, year = {2020}, abstract = {In nature, dominance is often shown by body size; even in humans many studies report that social status is associated with body height. In today's society, educational status is an important factor for social classification. Since growing children do not have their own educational or social status, they are often affected by the status of their parents. Therefore, the question appears, whether parental educational status measurably affects the growth of a child. If so, is this explainable by the nutritional factors? To test this hypothesis, seven different Indian data sets where reexamined using the St. Nicolas House Analysis. The results show a direct association between parental education and body height (hSDS) of the child, but there was no influence of parental education on the nutritional status. We conclude that education has a direct effect on height that is not mediated via nutrition.}, language = {en} } @article{FriebelHermanussenScheffler2019, author = {Friebel, Francis and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Popular ideas and convictions about factors influencing the growth as well as the adult height of children}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {76}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2019/0972}, pages = {365 -- 370}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Common knowledge suggests that growth in height is influenced by nutrition, genetics, health, and environmental and general living conditions. In addition, modern studies showed that also social mobility and dominance within the social group, may significantly affect adolescent growth and final height. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of popular ideas and beliefs about factors influencing the growth on the biology of child and adolescent growth. We hypothesized that these beliefs are culture-specific and age-dependent. We investigated 307 French and 315 German participants of all age-groups. We collected polarising statements by questionnaire that the participants had to agree or disagree on. French participants see a connection between nutrition and the body height of children. This is different in Germany and may be due to the fact that French food culture is more traditional. Genetic factors were generally overestimated and considered as the most important determinants of longitudinal-growth. The participants denied an influence of disease and social status. Participants over 35 years of age considered adult height to be independent of environmental factors. In conclusion, popular beliefs partly depend on culture and appear to change with age as a result of growing experience.}, language = {en} } @article{NiereSpannemannStenzeletal.2020, author = {Niere, Oliver and Spannemann, Lisa and Stenzel, Patrick and Bogin, Barry and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Plasticity of human growth}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {77}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2020/1223}, pages = {431 -- 443}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Background: This systematic review aimed at collecting, analyzing and summarizing scientific studies focusing on psychosocial factors that influence linear growth among humans. Methods: The online database "PubMed" was used in order to acquire suitable scientific studies. These studies were evaluated based on clearly defined criteria that determine whether a study was to be excluded or included in the literature review. In the end, a total sum of 36 studies remained, which were carefully analyzed and used to generate an overview of the association between psychosocial factors and linear growth. Results: In the 36 reviewed studies, different social and psychological factors, such as socioeconomic status, parental education or emotional deprivation were set in relation to physical growth among humans. The studies were listed and summarized, depending on the investigated psychosocial factor. A clear association between psychosocial factors and growth could be observed in most of the reviewed studies. Discussion: Based on the results of the reviewed studies it could be concluded that the regulation of linear growth is also subject to different psychosocial factors. The way in which the developing human and the specific social environment interact seemed to have a major impact on linear growth. Statusspecific stress was discussed as one possible explanation for the regulating mechanism of human linear growth.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerVoigt2008, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Voigt, Andrea}, title = {Physical Mobility of the Elderly - Anthropometric Data of Static and Dynamic Measurements, and Physiologic Parameters under Stress Conditions}, editor = {Bodzs{\´a}r, Eva and Susanne, Charles}, isbn = {978-963-06-5222-3}, year = {2008}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenSchefflerGrothetal.2018, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Groth, Detlef and Bogin, Barry}, title = {Perceiving stunting - Student research and the "Lieschen Muller effect" in nutrition science}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {74}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2018/0858}, pages = {355 -- 358}, year = {2018}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenScheffler2023, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Nutrition, size, and tempo}, series = {Human biology and public health}, volume = {2022}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, number = {3}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph2022.3.37}, pages = {11}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Nutrition is a prerequisite, but not a regulator of growth. Growth is defined as increase in size over time. The understanding of growth includes an understanding of the binary concept of physical time and individual tempo. Excess food causes tempo acceleration. Food restriction delays tempo. Tempo reflects the pace of life. It is a dynamic physical response to a broad spectrum of social, economic, political, and emotional (SEPE) factors and can affect life expectancy. Variations in tempo create distortions of the z-score patterns of height and weight. Illness or intermediate food shortage lead to intermediate halts in development and create short dips in the z-score patterns. Children who develop throughout life at delayed pace usually run at lower z-scores for height and weight, and show a characteristic adolescent trough; children who develop throughout life at faster than average pace usually run at higher z-scores and show a characteristic adolescent peak in their z-score patterns. During adolescence, almost half of the height variance is due to tempo variation. There is not one tempo for the whole body. Different organ systems grow and mature at different pace.}, language = {en} } @article{RoeslerSchefflerHermanussen2023, author = {R{\"o}sler, Antonia and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {No evidence of growth impairment after forced migration in Polish school children after World War II}, series = {Human biology and public health}, volume = {1}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph2023.1.68}, pages = {8}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background: Migration is omnipresent. It can come hand in hand with emotional stress which is known to influence the growth of children. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse whether type of migration (forced or voluntary) and the geographic direction had influenced the growth of Polish children after World War II. Sample and Methods: A sub dataset of 2,208 individuals between the ages of 2-20, created from data of the 2nd Polish Anthropological Survey carried out in 1966-1969, including anthropometrical data and social and demographic information based on questionnaire, was used to analyse migration effects. Results: No association could be found between the direction of migration and the height of the children. The confidence intervals of the means of all classified migration categories overlap significantly and the effect size of the influence of migration category on height is ds=.140, which is too low to see any effects, even if there were one. Conclusion: Neither forced nor voluntary migration in Poland after World War II led to a change in height in children of migrating families.}, language = {en} } @article{MaqsoodNaumenkoHermanussenetal.2020, author = {Maqsood, Arusa and Naumenko, Daniel J. and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Groth, Detlef}, title = {No correlation between short term weight gain and lower leg length gain in healthy German children}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {77}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2020/1237}, pages = {399 -- 403}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Background: Length-for-age is considered the indicator of choice in monitoring the long-term impact of chronic nutritional deficiency. Aim: We hypothesized that short term increments of body weight cross-correlate with increments of the lower leg length. Sample and methods: We re-analyzed the association between weekly measurements of weight and of lower leg length in 34 healthy German children, aged 2.9-15.9 years. The data are a subset of measurements originally published in 1988 (Hermanussen et al. 1988a). As the growth measurements were often not equally spaced in time due to interposed holidays and illness, the incremental rates for weight and lower leg length were smoothed using spline functions. Autocorrelation and cross-correlation functions were calculated for weight increments and lower leg length increments. Results: Height and weight increments are pulsatile. Autocorrelations indicated that mini growth spurts occur at irregular intervals. Lack of cross-correlations between weight and lower leg length indicated that mini spurts in weight gain do not coincide with mini spurts in length gain even when considering lag times of up to 10 weeks. Short term changes of weight gain and lower leg length gain in healthy children show no temporal association.}, language = {en} } @article{PospisilCzernitzkiScheffler2017, author = {Pospisil, Christina and Czernitzki, Anna-Franziska and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {No association between nutrition and body height in German kindergarten children}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {74}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {3}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2017/0704}, pages = {199 -- 202}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Anthropologists all over the world are discussing influences on individual height including quantity and quality of nutrition. To examine whether a relationship between nutritional components and height can be found this pilot study has been developed. The research samples consisted of 44 children (age 3-6 years) attending two different kindergartens in Germany. Height measurements were taken for each child. Furthermore the parents had to fill out a 24-hour questionnaire to document their children's eating habits during the weekend. In order to standardize the measured height values z-scores were calculated with reference to the average height of the overall cohort. The results of correlation analysis indicate that height is not significantly related to any of the main nutritional components as protein (r = -0.148), carbohydrates (r = 0.126), fat (r = 0.107), fibre (r = -0.289), vitamin (r = 0.050), calcium (r = 0.110), potassium (r = 0.189) and overall calorie intake (r = 0.302). In conclusion, it can be stated that the quality of nutrition may not have a strong influence on individual height. However, due to the small sample size further research should be provided with a larger cohort of children to verify the present results.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerKruetzfeldtDasguptaetal.2018, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Kruetzfeldt, Louisa-Marie and Dasgupta, Parasmani and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {No association between fat tissue and height in 5019 children and adolescents, measured between 1982 and 2011 in Kolkata/India}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology}, volume = {74}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2018/0827}, pages = {403 -- 411}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Body height has traditionally been looked upon as a mirror of the condition of society, short height being an indicator of poor nutritional status, poor education, and low social status and income. This view has recently been questioned. We aimed to quantify the effects of nutrition, education, sibship size, and household income, factors that are conventionally considered to be related to child growth, on body height of children and adolescents raised under urban Indian conditions. Sample and methods: We re-analyzed several anthropometric measurements and questionnaires with questions on sibship size, fathers' and mother's education, and monthly family expenditure, from two cross-sectional growth studies performed in Kolkata, India. The first Kolkata Growth Study (KG1) took place in 1982-1983, with data on 825 Bengali boys aged 7 to 16 years; and the second Kolkata Growth Study (KG2) between 1999 and 2011 with data of 1999 boys aged 7 to 21 years from Bengali Hindu families, and data of 2195 girls obtained between 2005 and 2011. Results: Indian children showed positive insignificant secular trends in height and a significant secular trend in weight and BMI between between 1982 and 2011. Yet, multiple regression analysis failed to detect an association between nutritional status (expressed in terms of skinfold thickness), monthly family expenditure and sibship size with body height of these children. The analysis only revealed an influence of parental education on female, but not on male height. Conclusion: We failed to detect influences of nutrition, sibship size, and monthly family expenditure on body height in a large sample of children and adolescents raised in Kolkata, India, between 1982 and 2011. We found a mild positive association between parental education and girls' height. The data question current concepts regarding the impact of nutrition, and household and economic factors on growth, but instead underscore the effect of parental education.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{LehmannTryggvadottirScheffleretal.2011, author = {Lehmann, Andreas and Tryggvadottir, Laufey and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Menarcheal age and body height in Iceland in the last century}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {68}, booktitle = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {4}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, pages = {507 -- 508}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenPulunganScheffleretal.2019, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Pulungan, Aman B. and Scheffler, Christiane and Mumm, Rebekka and Rogol, Alan D. and Pop, Raluca and Swanson, James M. and Sonuga-Barke, Edmund and Reimann, Anna and Siniarska-Wolanska, Anna and Musalek, Martin and Bogin, Barry and Boldsen, Jesper L. and Tassenaar, (Vincent) and Groth, Detlef and Liu, Yuk-Chien and Meigen, Christof and Quanjer, Bjorn and Thompson, Kristina and Ozer, Baak Koca and Bryl, Ewa and Mamrot, Paula and Hanc, Tomasz and Koziel, Slawomir and Soderhall, Jani and Gomula, Aleksandra and Banik, Sudip Datta and Roelants, Mathieu and Veldre, Gudrun and Lieberman, Leslie Sue and Sievert, Lynnette Leidy}, title = {Meeting Reports}, series = {Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews}, volume = {16}, journal = {Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews}, number = {3}, publisher = {Medical Media}, address = {Netanya}, issn = {1565-4753}, doi = {10.17458/per.vol16.2019.hps.mr.26achauersoiree}, pages = {383 -- 400}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Thirty-one scientists met at Aschauhof, Germany to discuss the role of beliefs and self-perception on body size. In view of apparent growth stimulatory effects of dominance within the social group that is observed in social mammals, they discussed various aspects of competitive growth strategies and growth adjustments. Presentations included new data from Indonesia, a cohort-based prospective study from Merida, Yucatan, and evidence from recent meta-analyses and patterns of growth in the socially deprived. The effects of stress experienced during pregnancy and adverse childhood events were discussed, as well as obesity in school children, with emphasis on problems when using z-scores in extremely obese children. Aspects were presented on body image in African-American women, and body perception and the disappointments of menopause in view of feelings of attractiveness in different populations. Secular trends in height were presented, including short views on so called 'racial types' vs bio-plasticity, and historic data on early-life nutritional status and later-life socioeconomic outcomes during the Dutch potato famine. New tools for describing body proportions in patients with variable degrees of phocomelia were presented along with electronic growth charts. Bio-statisticians discussed the influence of randomness, community and network structures, and presented novel tools and methods for analyzing social network data.}, language = {en} } @article{KozielSchefflerTutkuvieneetal.2018, author = {Koziel, Slawomir and Scheffler, Christiane and Tutkuviene, Janina and Jakimaviciene, Egle Marija and Mumm, Rebekka and Barbieri, Davide and Godina, Elena and El-Shabrawi, Mortada and Elhusseini, Mona and Musalek, Martin and Pruszkowska-Przybylska, Paulina and El Dash, Hanaa H. and Safar, Hebatalla Hassan and Lehmann, Andreas and Swanson, James and Bogin, Barry and Liu, Yuk-Chien and Groth, Detlef and Kirchengast, Sylvia and Siniarska, Anna and Nieczuja-Dwojacka, Joanna and Kralik, Miroslav and Satake, Takashi and Harc, Tomasz and Roelants, Mathieu and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Meeting Report: Growth and social environment}, series = {Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews}, volume = {15}, journal = {Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews}, number = {4}, publisher = {Medical Media}, address = {Netanya}, issn = {1565-4753}, doi = {10.17458/per.vol15.2018.ksh.mr.GrowthSocialEnvironment}, pages = {319 -- 329}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Twenty-two scientists met at Krobielowice, Poland, to discuss the impact of the social environment, spatial proximity, migration, poverty, but also psychological factors such as body perception and satisfaction, and social stressors such as elite sports, and teenage pregnancies, on child and adolescent growth. The data analysis included linear mixed effects models with different random effects, Monte Carlo analyses, and network simulations. The work stressed the importance of the peer group, but also included historic material, some considerations about body proportions, and growth in chronic liver, and congenital heart disease.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerGreilSchroeder2000, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Greil, Holle and Schr{\"o}der, Inge}, title = {Maß- und funktionsgerechte Gestaltung der k{\"o}rpernahen Umwelt {\"a}lterer Menschen}, year = {2000}, language = {de} } @article{VoigtScheffler2011, author = {Voigt, Andrea and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Manual abilities of the elderly - handgrip strength, finger and thumb push strength and opening strength in age comparison}, issn = {0003-5548}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @article{VoigtScheffler2011, author = {Voigt, Andrea and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Manual abilities of the elderly - handgrip strength, finger and thumb push strength and opening strength in age comparison}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {68}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {2}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/0003-5548/2011/0090}, pages = {167 -- 173}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The purpose of this paper is to display the static strength capacities of healthy adults in different age categories. A total of 279 healthy German adults at the ages of 20 to 29 years, 50 to 59 years and 60 to 69 years generated their maximum static handgrip, index finger and thumb push strength, as well as their maximum opening strength on a smooth jar lid of 85 mm diameter and on a knurled bottle lid of 31 mm with their right hand. The results show larger male strength than female strength. Significant age-induced differences appear primarily in opening strengths between the age groups 20 to 29 and 50 to 59 years in male subjects and in female opening strengths between the age groups 20 to 29 and 60 to 69 years as well as between the age groups 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 years. Of greatest interest is that elderly men show the largest opening strengths.}, language = {en} } @misc{MummSchefflerHermanussen2022, author = {Mumm, Rebekka and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Locally structured correlation (LSC) plots describe inhomogeneity in normally distributed correlated bivariate variables}, series = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {1319}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-58877}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-588777}, pages = {6}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background The association between bivariate variables may not necessarily be homogeneous throughout the whole range of the variables. We present a new technique to describe inhomogeneity in the association of bivariate variables. Methods We consider the correlation of two normally distributed random variables. The 45° diagonal through the origin of coordinates represents the line on which all points would lie if the two variables completely agreed. If the two variables do not completely agree, the points will scatter on both sides of the diagonal and form a cloud. In case of a high association between the variables, the band width of this cloud will be narrow, in case of a low association, the band width will be wide. The band width directly relates to the magnitude of the correlation coefficient. We then determine the Euclidean distances between the diagonal and each point of the bivariate correlation, and rotate the coordinate system clockwise by 45°. The standard deviation of all Euclidean distances, named "global standard deviation", reflects the band width of all points along the former diagonal. Calculating moving averages of the standard deviation along the former diagonal results in "locally structured standard deviations" and reflect patterns of "locally structured correlations (LSC)". LSC highlight inhomogeneity of bivariate correlations. We exemplify this technique by analyzing the association between body mass index (BMI) and hip circumference (HC) in 6313 healthy East German adults aged 18 to 70 years. Results The correlation between BMI and HC in healthy adults is not homogeneous. LSC is able to identify regions where the predictive power of the bivariate correlation between BMI and HC increases or decreases, and highlights in our example that slim people have a higher association between BMI and HC than obese people. Conclusion Locally structured correlations (LSC) identify regions of higher or lower than average correlation between two normally distributed variables.}, language = {en} } @article{MummSchefflerHermanussen2022, author = {Mumm, Rebekka and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Locally structured correlation (LSC) plots describe inhomogeneity in normally distributed correlated bivariate variables}, series = {Archives of Public Health}, volume = {80}, journal = {Archives of Public Health}, publisher = {Springer Nature BMC}, address = {Bruxelles}, issn = {0778-7367}, doi = {10.1186/s13690-021-00748-4}, pages = {6}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background The association between bivariate variables may not necessarily be homogeneous throughout the whole range of the variables. We present a new technique to describe inhomogeneity in the association of bivariate variables. Methods We consider the correlation of two normally distributed random variables. The 45° diagonal through the origin of coordinates represents the line on which all points would lie if the two variables completely agreed. If the two variables do not completely agree, the points will scatter on both sides of the diagonal and form a cloud. In case of a high association between the variables, the band width of this cloud will be narrow, in case of a low association, the band width will be wide. The band width directly relates to the magnitude of the correlation coefficient. We then determine the Euclidean distances between the diagonal and each point of the bivariate correlation, and rotate the coordinate system clockwise by 45°. The standard deviation of all Euclidean distances, named "global standard deviation", reflects the band width of all points along the former diagonal. Calculating moving averages of the standard deviation along the former diagonal results in "locally structured standard deviations" and reflect patterns of "locally structured correlations (LSC)". LSC highlight inhomogeneity of bivariate correlations. We exemplify this technique by analyzing the association between body mass index (BMI) and hip circumference (HC) in 6313 healthy East German adults aged 18 to 70 years. Results The correlation between BMI and HC in healthy adults is not homogeneous. LSC is able to identify regions where the predictive power of the bivariate correlation between BMI and HC increases or decreases, and highlights in our example that slim people have a higher association between BMI and HC than obese people. Conclusion Locally structured correlations (LSC) identify regions of higher or lower than average correlation between two normally distributed variables.}, language = {en} } @article{MummSchefflerHermanussen2022, author = {Mumm, Rebekka and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Locally structured correlation (LSC) plots describe inhomogeneity in normally distributed correlated bivariate variables}, series = {Archives of public health = Archives belges de sant{\´e} publique = Belgisch archief voor volksgezondheid}, volume = {80}, journal = {Archives of public health = Archives belges de sant{\´e} publique = Belgisch archief voor volksgezondheid}, number = {1}, publisher = {BMC}, address = {London}, issn = {0778-7367}, doi = {10.1186/s13690-021-00748-4}, pages = {6}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background The association between bivariate variables may not necessarily be homogeneous throughout the whole range of the variables. We present a new technique to describe inhomogeneity in the association of bivariate variables. Methods We consider the correlation of two normally distributed random variables. The 45 degrees diagonal through the origin of coordinates represents the line on which all points would lie if the two variables completely agreed. If the two variables do not completely agree, the points will scatter on both sides of the diagonal and form a cloud. In case of a high association between the variables, the band width of this cloud will be narrow, in case of a low association, the band width will be wide. The band width directly relates to the magnitude of the correlation coefficient. We then determine the Euclidean distances between the diagonal and each point of the bivariate correlation, and rotate the coordinate system clockwise by 45 degrees. The standard deviation of all Euclidean distances, named "global standard deviation", reflects the band width of all points along the former diagonal. Calculating moving averages of the standard deviation along the former diagonal results in "locally structured standard deviations" and reflect patterns of "locally structured correlations (LSC)". LSC highlight inhomogeneity of bivariate correlations. We exemplify this technique by analyzing the association between body mass index (BMI) and hip circumference (HC) in 6313 healthy East German adults aged 18 to 70 years. Results The correlation between BMI and HC in healthy adults is not homogeneous. LSC is able to identify regions where the predictive power of the bivariate correlation between BMI and HC increases or decreases, and highlights in our example that slim people have a higher association between BMI and HC than obese people. Conclusion Locally structured correlations (LSC) identify regions of higher or lower than average correlation between two normally distributed variables.}, language = {en} } @article{MummScheffler2019, author = {Mumm, Rebekka and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Lack of evidence of nutritional influence on height in four low and middle-income countries}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {76}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2019/0988}, pages = {421 -- 432}, year = {2019}, abstract = {'Nutrition influences height' has been a common concept for the last decades. Recently, contradictory results occurred when studying the effectiveness of nutritional interventions, questioning the interaction of nutrition and height. Therefore, we hypothesize that, independently of population/country, nutrition does not affect height in children and adolescents. We analyzed data from the study "Young Lives" which was performed in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam to describe the health situation of children. We used linear mixed effect models to analyze the influence of nutrition on height. Furthermore, we used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test if the commonly assumed hypothetical interaction of height and nutrition can be supported by data from low and middle-income countries. Estimates for nutrition on height of linear mixed effect models were about zero and randomly significant or non-significant in all analyzed countries. Furthermore, SEM led to the rejection of the 'nutrition influences height'-hypothesis, as data did not support the models based on this hypothesis. We do not find evidence for a nutritional influence on height in children and adolescents from low and middle-income countries. The widespread assumption that inadequate diet is reflected in short stature, which all modern nutritional interventions are based on, needs to be critically reviewed.}, language = {en} } @article{Scheffler1996, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {K{\"o}rperl{\"a}nge, K{\"o}rpermasse und Kopfumfang bei Kindern von der Geburt bis zum 3. Lebensjahr}, year = {1996}, language = {de} } @article{SchefflerKetelhutMorgenstern2004, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Ketelhut, Kerstin and Morgenstern, Ulrike}, title = {K{\"o}rperliche und motorische Entwicklung von Kindern unterschiedlicher sozialer Herkunft.}, year = {2004}, language = {de} } @article{SchefflerKetelhutMorgenstern2003, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Ketelhut, Kerstin and Morgenstern, Ulrike}, title = {K{\"o}rperliche und motorische Entwicklung von Kindern unterschiedlicher sozialer Herkunft}, isbn = {3-935024-76-2}, year = {2003}, language = {de} } @article{SchilitzGreilScheffler2000, author = {Schilitz, Anja and Greil, Holle and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {K{\"o}rperliche Entwicklung von Brandenburger Sch{\"u}lern und Sch{\"u}lerinnen als Indikator f{\"u}r komplexe Ver{\"a}nderungen von Umweltbedingungen}, year = {2000}, language = {de} } @article{Scheffler2000, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {K{\"o}rperbau, Bewegungsm{\"o}glichkeiten und Konzentrationsf{\"a}higkeit {\"a}lterer Menschen}, isbn = {3-89712-961-2}, year = {2000}, language = {de} } @article{SchefflerHermanussen2014, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Is there an influence of modern life style on skeletal build?}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {26}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, number = {5}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-0533}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.22561}, pages = {590 -- 597}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Objectives: Modern human life style has led to significant decrease in everyday physical activity and bipedal locomotion. It has previously been shown that skeletal robustness (relative elbow breadth) is associated with daily step counts. The aim of the study was to investigate whether also other skeletal measures, particularly pelvic breadth may have changed in recent decades. Methods: We re-analyzed elbow breadth, pelvic breadth (bicristal), and thoracic depth and breadth, of up to 28,975 healthy females and 28,288 healthy males aged 3-18 years from cross-sectional anthropological surveys performed between 1980 and 2012 by the Universities of Potsdam and Berlin, Germany. Results: Relative elbow breadth (Frame index) significantly decreased in both sexes since 1980 (< 0.001). The trend toward slighter built was even more pronounced in absolute and relative pelvic breadth. In contrast, equivalent changes of parts of the skeletal system that are not involved in bipedal locomotion such as thoracic breadth, thoracic depth, and the thoracic index were absent. Conclusions: The present investigation confirms the decline in relative elbow breadth in recent decades. Analogue, but even more pronounced changes were detected in pelvic breadth that coincides with the modern decline in upright locomotion. The findings underscore the phenotypic plasticity of humans while adapting to new environmental conditions. (C) 2014Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, language = {en} } @article{ParfentevaGrothScheffleretal.2019, author = {Parfenteva, Olga and Groth, Detlef and Scheffler, Christiane and Zaharova, Maria F.}, title = {Influence of the A/T polymorphism of the FTO gene and sport specializations on the body composition of young Russian athletes}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {76}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2019/0943}, pages = {401 -- 408}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background: The polymorphism in FTO gene (rs9939609) is known to be associated with higher BMI and body fat mass content. However, environmental factors can modify this effect. The purpose of the present study was to investigate an association between sport specialization and the rs9939609 SNP in FTO gene in the cohort of professional and amateur young athletes. Methods: A total number of 250 young individuals 8-18 years old living in Moscow or Moscow district participated in the study. Individuals were divided into 3 groups in accordance with their physical activity level: control group (n = 49), amateurs (n = 67) and professionals (n = 137). Amateur and professional athletes were subdivided into groups according to their sport specialization. Quantile regression was used as a regression model, where the dependent (outcome) variable was BMI, along with percentage of body fat mass, and the independent variables (predictors) were the rs9939609 SNP in FTO gene, physical activity (active versus inactive), sport specialization (aerobic, intermittent sports and martial arts), nationality, level of sport experience (in years), gender and percentage of free fat mass content. Results: The regression analysis revealed that physical activity and sport specialization had greater impact compared to FTO allele in the group of physically active individuals. Physical activity, in particular aerobic, had negative associations with body fat mass and BMI. The rs9939609 SNP in FTO gene is associated with physical activity and aerobic activity. The magnitude of association becomes significantly larger at the upper quantiles of the body fat mass distribution. Conclusion: Physical activity and sport specialization explained more variance in body composition of physically active young individuals compared to the FTO polymorphism. Effect of interaction of physical activity, in particular aerobic, with the FTO polymorphism on body composition of young athletes was found.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerJaeger2001, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Jaeger, Uwe}, title = {Industrieanthropologie}, isbn = {3-89873-228-2}, year = {2001}, language = {de} } @article{NovinaHermanussenScheffleretal.2020, author = {Novina, Novina and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Pulungan, Aman B. and Ismiarto, Yoyos Dias and Andriyana, Yudhie and Biben, Vitriana and Setiabudiawan, Budi}, title = {Indonesian National Growth Reference Charts better reflect height and weight of children in West Java, Indonesia, than WHO Child Growth Standards}, series = {Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology}, number = {4}, publisher = {Galenos Yayincilik}, address = {Istanbul}, issn = {1308-5727}, doi = {10.4274/jcrpe.galenos.2020.2020.0044}, pages = {410 -- 419}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Objective: The Indonesia Basic Health Research 2018 indicates that Indonesian children are still among the shortest in the world. When referred to World Health Organization Child Growth Standards (WHOCGS), the prevalence of stunting reaches up to 43\% in several Indonesian districts. Indonesian National Growth Reference Charts (INGRC) were established in order to better distinguish between healthy short children and children with growth disorders. We analyzed height and weight measurements of healthy Indonesian children using INGRC and WHOCGS. Methods: 6972 boys and 5800 girls (n = 12,772), aged 0-59 months old, from Bandung District were measured. Z-scores of length/height and body mass index were calculated based on INGRC and WHOCGS. Results: Under 5-year-old Indonesian children raised in Bandung are short and slim. Mean height z-scores of boys is -2.03 [standard deviation (SD) 1.31], mean height z-scores of girls is -2.03 (SD 1.31) when referred to WHOCGS indicating that over 50 \% of these children are stunted. Bandung children are heterogeneous, with substantial subpopulations of tall children. Depending on the growth reference used, between 9\% and 15\% of them are wasted. Wasted children are on average half a SD taller than their peers. Conclusion: WHOCGS seriously overestimates the true prevalence of undernutrition in Indonesian children. The present investigation fails to support evidence of undernutrition at a prevalence similar to the over 50\% prevalence of stunting (WHOCGS) versus 13.3\% (INGRC). We suggest refraining from using WHOCGS, and instead applying INGRC that closely mirror height and weight increments in Bandung children. INGRC appear superior for practical and clinical purposes, such as detecting growth and developmental disorders.}, language = {en} } @article{MusalekKokstejnPapezetal.2017, author = {Musalek, Martin and Kokstejn, Jakub and Papez, Pavel and Scheffler, Christiane and Mumm, Rebekka and Czernitzki, Anna-Franziska and Koziel, Slawomir}, title = {Impact of normal weight obesity on fundamental motor skills in pre-school children aged 3 to 6 years}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {74}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2017/0752}, pages = {203 -- 212}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Normal weight obesity is defined as having excessive body fat, but normal BMI. Even though previous research revealed that excessive body fat in children inhibited their physical activity and decreased motor performance, there has been only little evidence about motor performance of normal weight obese children. This study aims to establish whether normal weight obese pre-school children aged 3-6 years will have a significantly worse level of fundamental motor skills compared to normal weight non-obese counterparts. The research sample consisted of 152 pre-schoolers selected from a specific district of Prague, the Czech Republic. According to values from four skinfolds: triceps, subscapula, suprailiaca, calf, and BMI three categories of children aged 3-6 years were determined: A) normal weight obese n = 51; B) normal weight non-obese n = 52; C) overweight and obese n = 49. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2) was used for the assessment of fundamental motor skills. Normal weight obese children had significantly higher amount of adipose tissue p < 0.001 than normal weight non-obese children but the same average BMI. Moreover, normal weight obese children did not have significantly less amount of subcutaneous fat on triceps and calf compared to their overweight and obese peers. In majority of MABC-2 tests, normal weight obese pre-schoolers showed the poorest performance. Moreover, normal weight obese children had significantly worse total standard score = 38.82 compared to normal weight non-obese peers = 52.27; p < 0.05. In addition, normal weight obese children had a more than three times higher frequency OR = 3.69 CI95\% (1.10; 12.35) of severe motor deficit performance <= 5th centile of the MABC-2 norm. These findings are strongly alarming since indices like BMI are not able to identify normal weight obese individual. We recommend verifying real portion of normal weight obese children as they are probably in higher risk of health and motor problems than overweight and obese population due to their low lean mass.}, language = {en} } @article{BoginVareaHermanussenetal.2018, author = {Bogin, Barry and Varea, Carlos and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Human life course biology}, series = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {165}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0002-9483}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.23357}, pages = {834 -- 854}, year = {2018}, language = {en} } @article{GrothSchefflerHermanussen2023, author = {Groth, Detlef and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Human growth data analysis and statistics - the 5th G{\"u}lpe International Student Summer School}, series = {Human biology and public health}, volume = {1}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph2023.1.70}, pages = {5}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The Summer School in G{\"u}lpe (Ecological Station of the University of Potsdam) offers an exceptional learning opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems. With the guidance of experienced human biologists, statisticians, and programmers, students have the unique chance to analyze their own data and gain valuable insights. This interdisciplinary setting not only bridges different research areas but also leads to highly valuable outputs. The progress of students within just a few days is truly remarkable, especially when they are motivated and receive immediate feedback on their questions, problems, and results. The Summer School covers a wide range of topics, with this year's focus mainly on two areas: understanding the impact of socioeconomic and physiological factors on human development and mastering statistical techniques for analyzing data such as changepoint analysis and the St. Nicolas House Analysis (SNHA) to visualize interacting variables. The latter technique, born out of the Summer School's emphasis on gaining comprehensive data insights and understanding major relationships, has proven to be a valuable tool for researchers in the field. The articles in this special issue demonstrate that the Summer School in G{\"u}lpe stands as a testament to the power of practical learning and collaboration. Students who attend not only gain hands-on experience but also benefit from the expertise of professionals and the opportunity to engage with peers from diverse disciplines.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenGrothScheffler2022, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Groth, Detlef and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Human growth data analyses and statistics}, series = {Human biology and public health}, volume = {2021}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, number = {3, Summer School Supplement}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph2021.3.29}, pages = {4}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Students learn by repetition. Repetition is essential, but repetition needs questioning, and questioning the repertoire belongs to the essential tasks of student education. Guiding students to questioning was and is our prime motive to offer our International Student Summer Schools. The data were critically discussed among the students, in the twilight of Just So Stories, common knowledge, and prompted questioning of contemporary solutions. For these schools, the students bring their own data, carry their preliminary concepts, and in group discussions, they may have to challenge these concepts. Catch-up growth is known to affect long bone growth, but different opinions exist to what extent it also affects body proportions. Skeletal age and dental development are considered appropriate measures of maturation, but it appears that both system develop independently and are regulated by different mechanisms. Body weight distributions are assumed to be skewed, yet, historic data disproved this assumption. Many discussions focused on current ideas of global growth standards as a common yardstick for all populations world-wide, with new statistical tools being developed including network reconstruction and evaluation of the reconstructs to determine the confidence of graph prediction methods.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Scheffler2011, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {How many skeletons do we need? - An evolutionary approach of the change of skeleton measures in school children in the last decade}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {68}, booktitle = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {4}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, pages = {519 -- 519}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenSchefflerGrothetal.2015, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Groth, Detlef and Aßmann, Christian}, title = {Height and skeletal morphology in relation to modern life style}, series = {Journal of physiological anthropology}, volume = {34}, journal = {Journal of physiological anthropology}, publisher = {BioMed Central}, address = {London}, issn = {1880-6805}, doi = {10.1186/s40101-015-0080-4}, pages = {5}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Height and skeletal morphology strongly relate to life style. Parallel to the decrease in physical activity and locomotion, modern people are slimmer in skeletal proportions. In German children and adolescents, elbow breadth and particularly relative pelvic breadth (50th centile of bicristal distance divided by body height) have significantly decreased in recent years. Even more evident than the changes in pelvic morphology are the rapid changes in body height in most modern countries since the end-19th and particularly since the mid-20th century. Modern Japanese mature earlier; the age at take-off (ATO, the age at which the adolescent growth spurt starts) decreases, and they are taller at all ages. Preece-Baines modelling of six national samples of Japanese children and adolescents, surveyed between 1955 and 2000, shows that this gain in height is largely an adolescent trend, whereas height at take-off (HTO) increased by less than 3 cm since 1955; adolescent growth (height gain between ATO and adult age) increased by 6 cm. The effect of globalization on the modern post-war Japanese society ("community effect in height") on adolescent growth is discussed.}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenSchefflerMartinetal.2021, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Martin, Lidia and Groth, Detlef and Waxmonsky, James G. and Swanson, James and Nowak-Szczepanska, Natalia and Gomula, Aleksandra and Apanasewicz, Anna and Konarski, Jan M. and Malina, Robert M. and Bartkowiak, Sylwia and Lebedeva, Lidia and Suchomlinov, Andrej and Konstantinov, Vsevolod and Blum, Werner and Limony, Yehuda and Chakraborty, Raja and Kirchengast, Sylvia and Tutkuviene, Janina and Jakimaviciene, Egle Marija and Cepuliene, Ramune and Franken, Daniel and Navazo, B{\´a}rbara and Moelyo, Annang G. and Satake, Takashi and Koziel, Slawomir}, title = {Growth, Nutrition and Economy}, series = {Human Biology and Public Health}, volume = {2021}, journal = {Human Biology and Public Health}, number = {1}, editor = {Scheffler, Christiane and Koziel, Slawomir and Hermanussen, Michael and Bogin, Barry}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph.v1.1}, pages = {1 -- 13}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Twenty-three scientists met at Krobielowice, Poland to discuss the role of growth, nutrition and economy on body size. Contrasting prevailing concepts, re-analyses of studies in Indonesian and Guatemalan school children with high prevalence of stunting failed to provide evidence for an association between nutritional status and body height. Direct effects of parental education on growth that were not transmitted via nutrition were shown in Indian datasets using network analysis and novel statistical methods (St. Nicolas House Analysis) that translate correlation matrices into network graphs. Data on Polish children suggest significant impact of socioeconomic sensitivity on child growth, with no effect of maternal money satisfaction. Height and maturation tempo affect the position of a child among its peers. Correlations also exist between mood disorders and height. Secular changes in height and weight varied across decades independent of population size. Historic and recent Russian data showed that height of persons whose fathers performed manual work were on average four cm shorter than persons whose fathers were high-degree specialists. Body height, menarcheal age, and body proportions are sensitive to socioeconomic variables. Additional topics included delayed motherhood and its associations with newborn size; geographic and socioeconomic indicators related to low birth weight, prematurity and stillbirth rate; data on anthropometric history of Brazil, 1850-1950; the impact of central nervous system stimulants on the growth of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; and pituitary development and growth hormone secretion. Final discussions debated on reverse causality interfering between social position, and adolescent growth and developmental tempo.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenGodinaRuehlietal.2010, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Godina, Elena and Ruehli, Frank J. and Blaha, Pawel and Boldsen, Jesper L. and van Buuren, Stef and MacIntyre, Matthew and Aßmann, Christian and Ghosh, Arunava and de Stefano, Gian Fra nco and Sonkin, Valentin D. and Tresguerres Hern{\´a}ndez, Jes{\´u}s {\´A}ngel Fern{\´a}ndez and Meigen, Christof and Scheffler, Christiane and Geiger, Cherie L. and Lieberman, Leslie Sue}, title = {Growth variation, final height and secular trend : proceedings of the 17th Aschauer Soiree, 7th November 2009}, issn = {0018-442X}, doi = {10.1016/j.jchb.2010.06.001}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Growth and body height have always been topics interesting to the public. In particular, the stupendous increase of some 15-19 cm in final adult height during the last 150 years in most European countries (the "secular trend"), the concomitant changes in body and head proportions, the tendency towards early onset of sexual maturation, the changes in the age when final height is being reached, and the very recent trend in body mass index, have generated much scientific literature. The marked plasticity of growth in height and weight over time causes problems. Child growth references differ between nations, they tend to quickly become out of date, and raise a number of questions regarding fitting methods, effects caused by selective drop-out, etc. New findings contradict common beliefs about the primary importance of nutritional and health related factors for secular changes in growth. There appears to be a broad age span from mid-childhood to early adolescence that is characterised by a peculiar insusceptibility. Environmental factors that are known to influence growth during this age span appear to have only little or no impact on final height. Major re- arrangements in height occur at an age when puberty has almost been completed and final height has almost been reached, implying that factors, which drive the secular trend in height, are limited to early childhood and late adolescence.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerRogolIancuetal.2021, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Rogol, Alan D. and Iancu, Mirela and Hanc, Tomasz and Moelyo, Annang Giri and Suchomlinov, Andrej and Lebedeva, Lidia and Limony, Yehuda and Musalek, Martin and Veldre, Gudrun and Godina, Elena Z. and Kirchengast, Sylvia and Mumm, Rebekka and Groth, Detlef and Tutkuviene, Janina and B{\"o}ker, Sonja and Ozer, Basak Koca and Navazo, Barbara and Spake, Laure and Koziel, Slawomir and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Growth during times of fear and emotional stress}, series = {Human biology and public health}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, number = {2}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph.v2.15}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Twenty-one scientists met for this year's virtual conference on Auxology held at the University Potsdam, Germany, to discuss child and adolescent growth during times of fear and emotional stress. Growth within the broad range of normal for age and sex is considered a sign of good general health whereas fear and emotional stress can lead to growth faltering. Stunting is a sign of social disadvantage and poor parental education. Adverse childhood experiences affect child development, particularly in families with low parental education and low socioeconomic status. Negative effects were also shown in Indian children exposed prenatally and in early postnatal life to the cyclone Aila in 2009. Distrust, fears and fake news regarding the current Corona pandemic received particular attention though the effects generally appeared weak. Mean birth weight was higher; rates of low, very and extremely low birth weight were lower. Other topics discussed by the participants, were the influences of economic crises on birth weight, the measurement of self-confidence and its impact on growth, the associations between obesity, peer relationship, and behavior among Turkish adolescents, height trends in Indonesia, physiological neonatal weight loss, methods for assessing biological maturation in sportsmen, and a new method for skeletal age determination. The participants also discussed the association between acute myocardial infarction and somatotype in Estonia, rural-urban growth differences in Mongolian children, socio-environmental conditions and sexual dimorphism, biological mortality bias, and new statistical techniques for describing inhomogeneity in the association of bivariate variables, and for detecting and visualizing extensive interactions among variables.}, language = {en} } @article{BoginSchefflerHermanussen2017, author = {Bogin, Barry and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Global effects of income and income inequality on adult height and sexual dimorphism in height}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {29}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-0533}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.22980}, pages = {11}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Objectives: Average adult height of a population is considered a biomarker of the quality of the health environment and economic conditions. The causal relationships between height and income inequality are not well understood. We analyze data from 169 countries for national average heights of men and women and national-level economic factors to test two hypotheses: (1) income inequality has a greater association with average adult height than does absolute income; and (2) neither income nor income inequality has an effect on sexual dimorphism in height. Methods: Average height data come from the NCD-RisC health risk factor collaboration. Economic indicators are derived from the World Bank data archive and include gross domestic product (GDP), Gross National Income per capita adjusted for personal purchasing power (GNI_ PPP), and income equality assessed by the Gini coefficient calculated by the Wagstaff method. Results: Hypothesis 1 is supported. Greater income equality is most predictive of average height for both sexes. GNI_ PPP explains a significant, but smaller, amount of the variation. National GDP has no association with height. Hypothesis 2 is rejected. With greater average adult height there is greater sexual dimorphism. Conclusions: Findings support a growing literature on the pernicious effects of inequality on growth in height and, by extension, on health. Gradients in height reflect gradients in social disadvantage. Inequality should be considered a pollutant that disempowers people from the resources needed for their own healthy growth and development and for the health and good growth of their children.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerDammhahn2017, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Dammhahn, Melanie}, title = {Feminization of the fat distribution pattern of children and adolescents in a recent German population}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {29}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-0533}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.23017}, pages = {10}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Objectives During the early 1990s, the economic and political situation in eastern Germany changed overnight. Here, we use the rare chance of an experiment-like setting in humans and aim to test whether the rapid change of environmental conditions in eastern Germany in the 1990s led to a change in the sex-specific fat distribution pattern, an endocrine-influenced phenotypic marker. METHODS Based on a cross-sectional data set of 6- to 18-year-old girls and boys measured between 1982-1991 and 1997-2012, we calculated a skinfold ratio of triceps to subscapular and percentage of body fat. Using linear regressions, we tested for differences in percentage of body fat and skinfold ratio between these two time periods. RESULTS We found that the percentage of body fat increased in boys and girls, and they accumulated relatively more fat on extremities than on the trunk in all BMI groups measured after 1997 as compared to those measured between 1982 and 1991. CONCLUSIONS Concurrent with drastic and rapid changes of environmental conditions, the body fat distribution of children and adolescents changed to a more feminized pattern during the early 1990s in an East German population. The changes in this endocrinologically mediated pattern might be associated with the increased exposure of individuals to endocrine-disrupting chemicals which are known to influence the endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems in animals and humans.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BoginHermanussenScheffler2021, author = {Bogin, Barry and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Fear, violence, inequality and stunting in Guatemala}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Association}, volume = {33}, booktitle = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Association}, publisher = {Wiley Interscience}, address = {New York, NY [u.a.]}, issn = {1520-6300}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.23593}, pages = {1}, year = {2021}, language = {en} } @article{MummGodinaKozieletal.2018, author = {Mumm, Rebekka and Godina, Elena and Koziel, Slawomir and Musalek, Martin and Sedlak, Petr and Wittwer-Backofen, Ursula and Hess, Volker and Dasgupta, Parasmani and Henneberg, Maciej and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {External skeletal robusticity of children and adolescents}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology}, volume = {74}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology}, number = {5}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2018/0826}, pages = {383 -- 391}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Background: In our modern world, the way of life in nutritional and activity behaviour has changed. As a consequence, parallel trends of an epidemic of overweight and a decline in external skeletal robusticity are observed in children and adolescents. Aim: We aim to develop reference centiles for external skeletal robusticity of European girls and boys aged 0 to 18 years using the Frame Index as an indicator and identify population specific age-related patterns. Methods: We analysed cross-sectional \& longitudinal data on body height and elbow breadth of boys and girls from Europe (0-18 years, n = 41.679), India (7-18 years, n = 3.297) and South Africa (3-18 years, n = 4.346). As an indicator of external skeletal robusticity Frame Index after Frisancho (1990) was used. We developed centiles for boys and girls using the LMS-method and its extension. Results: Boys have greater external skeletal robusticity than girls. Whereas in girls Frame Index decreases continuously during growth, an increase of Frame Index from 12 to 16 years in European boys can be observed. Indian and South African boys are almost similar in Frame Index to European boys. In girls, the pattern is slightly different. Whereas South African girls are similar to European girls, Indian girls show a lesser external skeletal robusticity. Conclusion: Accurate references for external skeletal robusticity are needed to evaluate if skeletal development is adequate per age. They should be used to monitor effects of changes in way of life and physical activity levels in children and adolescents to avoid negative health outcomes like osteoporosis and arthrosis.}, language = {en} } @article{LehmannSchefflerHermanussen2010, author = {Lehmann, Andreas and Scheffler, Christiane and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Evidence of seasonal variation in longitudinal growth of height in a sample of boys from Stuttgart Carlsschule, 1771-1793, using combined principal component analysis and maximum likelihood principle}, issn = {0018-442X}, doi = {10.1016/j.jchb.2009.11.003}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Recent progress in modelling individual growth has been achieved by combining the principal component analysis and the maximum likelihood principle. This combination models growth even in incomplete sets of data and in data obtained at irregular intervals. We re-analysed late 18th century longitudinal growth of German boys from the boarding school Carlsschule in Stuttgart. The boys aged 6-23 years, were measured at irregular 3-12 monthly intervals during the period 1771-1793. At the age of 18 years, mean height was 1652 mm, but height variation was large. The shortest boy reached 1474 mm, the tallest 1826 mm. Measured height closely paralleled modelled height, with mean difference of 4 mm, SD 7 mm. Seasonal height variation was found. Low growth rates occurred in spring and high growth rates in summer and autumn. The present study demonstrates that combining the principal component analysis and the maximum likelihood principle enables growth modelling in historic height data also.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenScheffler2022, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Evidence of chronic undernutrition in late 19th century German infants of all social classes}, series = {Human biology and public health}, volume = {2022}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, number = {2}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph2022.2.42}, pages = {9}, year = {2022}, abstract = {125 years ago, European infants grew differently from modern infants. We show weight gains of 20 healthy children weighed longitudinally from birth to age 1 year, published by Camerer in 1882. The data illustrate the historically prevalent concepts of infant nutrition practiced by German civil servants, lawyers, merchants, university professors, physicians, foresters and farmers. Breastfeeding by the mother was not truly appreciated in those days; children were often breastfed by wet nurses or received bottled milk. Bottle feeding mainly used diluted cow's milk with some added carbohydrates, without evidence that appropriate amounts of oil, butter or other fatty components were added. French children from 1914 showed similar weight gain patterns suggesting similar feeding practices. The historical data suggest that energy deficient infant formula was fed regularly in the late 19th and early 20th century Europe, regardless of wealth and social class. The data question current concerns that temporarily feeding energy deficient infant formula may warrant serious anxieties regarding long-term cognitive, social and emotional behavioral development.}, language = {en} } @misc{RebekkaMummReimannScheffler2021, author = {Rebekka Mumm, and Reimann, Anna and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Estimation of percentage of body fat in field studies - a method based on relative elbow breadth (Frame Index) and BMI}, series = {Human Biology and Public Health}, volume = {2021}, journal = {Human Biology and Public Health}, number = {1}, editor = {Scheffler, Christiane and Koziel, Slawomir and Hermanussen, Michael and Bogin, Barry}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph.v1.3}, pages = {1 -- 12}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Background Over the last 20 years, a decreasing trend in external skeletal robusticity and an increasing trend in overweight and obesity was observed worldwide in adults and children as modern lifestyles in nutritional and activity behavior have changed. However, body mass index (BMI) as a measure for overweight is not an ideal predictor of \% body fat (\%BF) either in children and adolescents or in adults. On the contrary, it disguises a phenomenon called "hidden obesity". Objectives We aim to approximate \%BF by combining skeletal robusticity and BMI and develop an estimation-based tool to identify normal weight obese children and adolescents. Sample and Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data on height, weight, elbow breadth, and skinfold thickness (triceps and subscapular) of German children aged 6 to 18 years (N=15,034). We used modified Hattori charts and multiple linear regression to develop a tool, the "\%BF estimator", to estimate \%BF by using BMI and skeletal robusticity measured as Frame Index. Results Independent of sex and age an increase in BMI is associated with an increase in \%BF, an increase in Frame Index is associated with a decrease in \%BF. The developed tool "\%BF estimator" allows the estimation of \%BF per sex and age group after calculation of BMI and Frame Index. Conclusion The "\%BF estimator" is an easily applicable tool for the estimation of \%BF in respect of body composition for clinical practice, screening, and public health research. It is non-invasive and has high accuracy. Further, it allows the identification of normal weight obese children and adolescents.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenSchefflerPulunganetal.2023, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane and Pulungan, Aman B. and Bandyopadhyay, Arup Ratan and Ghosh, Jyoti Ratan and {\"O}zdemir, Ay{\c{s}}eg{\"u}l and Koca {\"O}zer, Ba{\c{s}}ak and Musalek, Martin and Lebedeva, Lidia and Godina, Elena and Bogin, Barry and Tutkuviene, Janina and Budrytė, Milda and Gervickaite, Simona and Limony, Yehuda and Kirchengast, Sylvia and Buston, Peter and Groth, Detlef and R{\"o}sler, Antonia and Gasparatos, Nikolaos and Erofeev, Sergei and Novine, Masiar and Navazo, B{\´a}rbara and Dahinten, Silvia and Gomuła, Aleksandra and Nowak-Szczepańska, Natalia and Kozieł, Sławomir}, title = {Environment, social behavior, and growth}, series = {Human biology and public health}, volume = {1}, journal = {Human biology and public health}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2748-9957}, doi = {10.52905/hbph2023.1.59}, pages = {14}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Twenty-four scientists met for the annual Auxological conference held at Krobielowice castle, Poland, to discuss the diverse influences of the environment and of social behavior on growth following last year's focus on growth and public health concerns (Hermanussen et al., 2022b). Growth and final body size exhibit marked plastic responses to ecological conditions. Among the shortest are the pygmoid people of Rampasasa, Flores, Indonesia, who still live under most secluded insular conditions. Genetics and nutrition are usually considered responsible for the poor growth in many parts of this world, but evidence is accumulating on the prominent impact of social embedding on child growth. Secular trends not only in the growth of height, but also in body proportions, accompany the secular changes in the social, economic and political conditions, with major influences on the emotional and educational circumstances under which the children grow up (Bogin, 2021). Aspects of developmental tempo and aspects of sports were discussed, and the impact of migration by the example of women from Bangladesh who grew up in the UK. Child growth was considered in particular from the point of view of strategic adjustments of individual size within the network of its social group. Theoretical considerations on network characteristics were presented and related to the evolutionary conservation of growth regulating hypothalamic neuropeptides that have been shown to link behavior and physical growth in the vertebrate species. New statistical approaches were presented for the evaluation of short term growth measurements that permit monitoring child growth at intervals of a few days and weeks.}, language = {en} } @article{Scheffler1996, author = {Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Entwicklung ausgew{\"a}hlter K{\"o}rpermaße in Bezug zur K{\"o}rperh{\"o}he (Relativmaße) bei Kindern von der Geburt bis zum 3. Lebensjahr}, year = {1996}, language = {de} } @article{SchefflerKetelhutMohasseb2007, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Ketelhut, Kerstin and Mohasseb, Iman}, title = {Does physical education modify the body composition? - Results of a longitudinal study of pre-school children}, year = {2007}, abstract = {The aim of the study is the analysis of body composition, motor development and cardiovascular parameters of preschool-children. In 2001/2002 a longitudinal study started in 17 nursery schools in Berlin. A total of 160 children out of the 264 children participated in a regular exercise programme. After 24 months of training significant differences of body composition, motor skills and cardiovascular parameters between 5 complete year old children of the intervention and the control group were observed. The results show that such an exercise programme is successful as a preventive measure to decrease the risk of obesity.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenLiebermanSchoenfeldJanewaetal.2012, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Lieberman, L. S. and Sch{\"o}nfeld Janewa, U. and Scheffler, Christiane and Ghosh, A. and Bogin, Barry and Godina, E. and Kaczmarek, M. and El-Shabrawi, M. and Salama, E. E. and R{\"u}hli, F. J. and Staub, K. and Woitek, U. and Blaha, Pawel and vanBuurren, S. and Lehmann, A. and Satake, T. and Thodberg, H. H. and Jopp, E. and Kirchengast, S. and Tutkuviene, J. and McIntyre, M. H. and Wittwer-Backofen, U. and Boldsen, J. L. and Martin, D. D. and Meier, J.}, title = {Diversity in auxology: between theory and practice Proceedings of the 18th Aschauer Soiree, 13th November 2010}, issn = {0003-5548}, year = {2012}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenLiebermanJanewaetal.2012, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Lieberman, Leslie Su and Janewa, V. Schoenfeld and Scheffler, Christiane and Ghosh, Arunava and Bogin, Barry and Godina, Elena and Kaczmarek, M. and El-Shabrawi, M. and Salama, E. E. and R{\"u}hli, Frank J. and Staub, Kaspar and Woitek, U. and Blaha, Pawel and Aßmann, Christian and van Buuren, Stef and Lehmann, A. and Satake, T. and Thodberg, H. H. and Jopp, E. and Kirchengast, S. and Tutkuviene, J. and McIntyre, M. H. and Wittwer-Backofen, U. and Boldsen, Jesper L. and Martin, D. D. and Meier, J.}, title = {Diversity in auxology between theory and practice}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {69}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {2}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/0003-5548/2012/0133}, pages = {159 -- 174}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Auxology has developed from mere describing child and adolescent growth into a vivid and interdisciplinary research area encompassing human biologists, physicians, social scientists, economists and biostatisticians. The meeting illustrated the diversity in auxology, with the various social, medical, biological and biostatistical aspects in studies on child growth and development.}, language = {en} } @article{FrankeGrombergSchuelerHermanussenetal.2010, author = {Franke-Gromberg, Christine and Sch{\"u}ler, Grit and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Digital 2D-photogrammetry and direct anthropometry : a comparing study on test accomplishment and measurement data}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/0003-5548/2010/0012}, year = {2010}, abstract = {The aim of this methodological anthropometric study was to compare direct anthropometry and digital two- dimensional photogrammetry in 18 male and 27 female subjects, aged 24 to 65 years, from Potsdam, Germany. In view of the rising interest in reliable biometric kephalofacial data, we focussed on head and face measurements. Out of 34 classic facial anatomical landmarks, 27 landmarks were investigated both by direct anthropometry and 2D-photogrammetry; 7 landmarks could not be localized by 2D-photogrammetry. Twenty-six kephalofacial distances were analysed both by direct anthropometry and digital 2D-photogrammetry. Kephalofacial distances are on average 7.6\% shorter when obtained by direct anthropometry. The difference between the two techniques is particularly evident in total head height (vertex-gnathion) due to the fact that vertex is usually covered by hair and escapes from photogrammetry. Also the distances photographic sellion-gnathion (1.3 cm, i. e. 11.6\%) and nasal-gnathion (1.2 cm, i. e. 9.4\%) differ by more than one centimetre. Differences below 0.5 cm between the two techniques were found when measuring mucosa-lip-height (2.2\%), gonia (3.0\%), glabella-stomion (3.9\%), and nose height (glabella-subnasal) (4.0\%). Only the estimates of forehead width were significantly narrower when obtained by 2D-photogrammetry (-1.4 cm, -13.1\%). The methodological differences increased with increasing magnitude of the kephalometric distance. Apart from these limitations, both techniques are similarly valid and may replace each other.}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerObermueller2012, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Oberm{\"u}ller, Janina}, title = {Development of fat distrinution patterns in children and its association with the type of body shape assessed by the Metric-Index}, issn = {0003-5548}, year = {2012}, language = {en} } @article{SchefflerObermueller2012, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Oberm{\"u}ller, Janina}, title = {Development of fat distribution patterns in children and its association with the type of body shape assessed by the Metric-Index}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, volume = {69}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Anthropologie}, number = {1}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/0003-5548/2011/0138}, pages = {45 -- 55}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The present cross-sectional anthropometric study evaluates new approaches in preventing overweight in children. Anthropometric data were obtained in 289 German children (146 boys, 143 girls) aged 6-11 years and 41 20-29 year old German female students for describing the type of body shape by Metric-Index (thoracic breadth, thoracic depth, height). The data were correlated with 15 fat layers measured with a lipometer with Principal Component Analyses and ANOVA. In females the android respectively gynoid type of body shape was significantly associated with the pyknomorphic respectively leptomorphic type. The study demonstrates that this pattern is established by an age of 8 years, when the earliest maturing children start to enter puberty. This pattern can be used to check the individual's risk of overweight and to recommend preventive healthcare interventions.}, language = {en} }