@article{SchefflerBoginHermanussen2021, author = {Scheffler, Christiane and Bogin, Barry and Hermanussen, Michael}, title = {Catch-up growth is a better indicator of undernutrition than thresholds for stunting}, series = {Public health nutrition : PHN / The Nutrition Society}, volume = {24}, journal = {Public health nutrition : PHN / The Nutrition Society}, number = {1}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, address = {Cambridge ; New York, NY}, issn = {1475-2727}, doi = {10.1017/S1368980020003067}, pages = {52 -- 61}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Objective: Stunting (height-for-age < -2 SD) is one of the forms of undernutrition and is frequent among children of low- and middle-income countries. But stunting perSe is not a synonym of undernutrition. We investigated association between body height and indicators of energetic undernutrition at three critical thresholds for thinness used in public health: (1) BMI SDS < -2; (2) mid-upper arm circumference divided by height (MUAC (mm) × 10/height (cm) < 1·36) and (3) mean skinfold thickness (SF) < 7 mm and to question the reliability of thresholds as indicators of undernutrition. Design: Cross-sectional study; breakpoint analysis. Setting: Rural and urban regions of Indonesia and Guatemala - different socio-economic status (SES). Participants: 1716 Indonesian children (6·0-13·2 years) and 3838 Guatemalan children (4·0-18·9 years) with up to 50 \% stunted children. Results: When separating the regression of BMI, MUAC or SF, on height into distinguishable segments (breakpoint analysis), we failed to detect relevant associations between height, and BMI, MUAC or SF, even in the thinnest and shortest children. For BMI and SF, the breakpoint analysis either failed to reach statistical significance or distinguished at breakpoints above critical thresholds. For MUAC, the breakpoint analysis yielded negative associations between MUAC/h and height in thin individuals. Only in high SES Guatemalan children, SF and height appeared mildly associated with R2 = 0·017. Conclusions: Currently used lower thresholds of height-for-age (stunting) do not show relevant associations with anthropometric indicators of energetic undernutrition. We recommend using the catch-up growth spurt during early re-feeding instead as immediate and sensitive indicator of past undernourishment. We discuss the primacy of education and social-economic-political-emotional circumstances as responsible factors for stunting.}, 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} } @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{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{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{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} } @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} } @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} } @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} }