TY  - JOUR
A1  - Czernitzki, Anna-Franziska
A1  - Pospisil, Christina
A1  - Musalek, Martin
A1  - Mumm, Rebekka
A1  - Scheffler, Christiane
T1  - Analysis of longitudinal data of height z-scores in kindergarten children
BT  - a pilot study
JF  - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie
N2  - Changes in body height throughout extended historic periods are very complex and dynamic processes. Thispilot study aimed to investigate the pattern of longitudinal height z-scores changes in children before and after entering kindergarten. In summer 2016, we measured height and weight of 32 children from 4 groups of two kindergartens aged 3–6 years. All ages were centered according to the age of entry into the kindergarten. For each child we determined mean z-scores for height before and after entering the kindergarten, and assessed the variances for each kindergarten group. Twenty-two children targeted in height z-scores towards average height of their respective kindergarten group, 10 children did not. Due to the small numbers, the convergence in height variance however, remained insignificant (chi-squared independence test, p = 0.127). Additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this pilot study.
KW  - Height z-score
KW  - kindergarten children
KW  - secular trend
KW  - strategic growth adjustment
KW  - social signal
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2017/0708
SN  - 0003-5548
VL  - 74
IS  - 2
SP  - 109
EP  - 112
PB  - Schweizerbart science publishers
CY  - Stuttgart
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mumm, Rebekka
A1  - Hermanussen, Michael
T1  - A short note on the BMI and on secular changes in BMI
JF  - Human biology and public health
N2  - Human size changes over time with worldwide secular trends in height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). There is general agreement to relate the state of nutrition to height and weight, and to ratios of weight-to-height. The BMI is a ratio. It is commonly used to classify underweight, overweight and obesity in adults. Yet, the BMI is inappropriate to provide any immediate information on body composition.

It is accepted that the BMI is “a simple index to classify underweight, overweight and obesity in adults”. It is stated that “policies, programmes and investments need to be “nutrition-sensitive”, which means they must have positive impacts on nutrition”. It is also stated that “a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions“. But these statements are neither warranted by arithmetic considerations, nor by historic evidence.

Measuring the BMI is an appropriate screening tool for detecting an unusual weight-to-height ratio, but the BMI is an inappropriate tool for estimating body composition, or suggesting medical and health policy decisions.
KW  - body mass index
KW  - secular trend
KW  - weight-to-height ratio
KW  - malnutrition
KW  - obesity
Y1  - 2021
U6  - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph.v2.17
SN  - 2748-9957
IS  - 2
PB  - Universitätsverlag Potsdam
CY  - Potsdam
ER  -