TY - JOUR A1 - Parfenteva, Olga A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Zaharova, Maria F. T1 - Influence of the A/T polymorphism of the FTO gene and sport specializations on the body composition of young Russian athletes JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - physical activity KW - professional and amateur athletes KW - children and adolescents KW - BMI KW - percentage of fat mass KW - FTO KW - aerobic sports activity KW - quantile regression Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2019/0943 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 76 IS - 5 SP - 401 EP - 408 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pospisil, Christina A1 - Czernitzki, Anna-Franziska A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - No association between nutrition and body height in German kindergarten children BT - a pilot study JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - nutritional components KW - individual body height KW - children KW - Germany Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2017/0704 SN - 0003-5548 SN - 2363-7099 VL - 74 IS - 3 SP - 199 EP - 202 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - 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 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Voigt, Andrea T1 - Vergleich statischer und dynamischer Körpermaße von Jüngeren (20 - 29 Jahre) und Älteren (50 - 85 Jahre) Y1 - 2008 SN - 978-3-88383-734-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Mohasseb, Iman T1 - Does physical education modify the body composition? - Results of a longitudinal study of pre-school children N2 - 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. Y1 - 2007 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Mohasseb, Iman A1 - Gericke, Christian A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ketelhut, Reinhard G. T1 - Verbesserung der Motorik und des kardiovaskulären Risikos durch Sport im frühen Kindesalter Y1 - 2005 UR - http://www.aerzteblatt.de/v4/archiv/artikel.asp?src=suche&id=46457 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mohasseb, Iman A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Gericke, Christian A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ketelhut, Reinhard G. T1 - Regular movement straining leads to the reduction of the diastolic blood pressure in the pre-school age Y1 - 2005 SN - 0941-3790 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Morgenstern, Ulrike T1 - Körperliche und motorische Entwicklung von Kindern unterschiedlicher sozialer Herkunft. Y1 - 2004 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Mohasseb, Iman A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ketelhut, Reinhard G. T1 - Regular exercise improves risk profile and motor development in early childhood Y1 - 2004 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Mohasseb, Iman A1 - Ketelhut, Reinhard G. T1 - The influence of an exercise program on body composition, motor and cardiovascular parameters in pre-school children : a longitudinal study Y1 - 2004 SN - 88-87814-25-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mohasseb, Iman A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Mohasseb, Iman A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Gericke, Christian A1 - Scholze, J. A1 - Ketelhut, Reinhard G. T1 - Benefit of regular Exercise on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Motor Development in Early Childhood Y1 - 2004 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Bittmann, Frank N. A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Morgenstern, Ulrike T1 - Vergleichsuntersuchung über Körpermaße und motorische Fähigkeiten bei Kindern Y1 - 2003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Bittmann, Frank N. A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Mohasseb, Iman A1 - Ketelhut, Reinhard G. T1 - Blutdruck (BP) Body Mass Index (BMI) und motorische Fähigkeiten bei Kindern in Abhängigkeit vom sozialen Status in der frühen Kindheit Y1 - 2003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ketelhut, Kerstin A1 - Morgenstern, Ulrike T1 - Körperliche und motorische Entwicklung von Kindern unterschiedlicher sozialer Herkunft Y1 - 2003 SN - 3-935024-76-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Noth, Veronika T1 - Bewegungsanalyse von Alltagssituationen Y1 - 2002 SN - 3-412-03102-x ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Bewegungsmuster in Alltagssituationen BT - Ein Altersvergleich JF - Brandenburgische Umwelt-Berichte : BUB ; Schriftenreihe der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Potsdam Y1 - 2001 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-3933 SN - 1434-2375 SN - 1611-9339 VL - 10 SP - 94 EP - 99 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Noth, Veronika A1 - Greil, Holle A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Lange, E. T1 - Strategien bei der Handhabung von Verschlüssen im Kleinkind- und Vorschulalter JF - Brandenburgische Umwelt-Berichte : BUB ; Schriftenreihe der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Potsdam Y1 - 2001 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-3916 SN - 1434-2375 SN - 1611-9339 VL - 10 SP - 77 EP - 86 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Berndt, Klaus-Peter A1 - Felgentreff, Carsten A1 - Giest, Hartmut A1 - Walgenbach, Wilhelm A1 - Greil, Holle A1 - Jürgens, H.-W. A1 - Schröder, I. A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Schilitz, Anja A1 - Segert, Astrid A1 - Zierke, Irene A1 - Wipper, Renate T1 - Umweltforschung für das Land Brandenburg BT - Projekt Humanökologie, Umweltbezogene Handlungsstrukturen, Umweltbildung JF - Brandenburgische Umwelt-Berichte : BUB ; Schriftenreihe der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Potsdam N2 - BERNDT, K.-P.: Interdisziplinäres multimediales Lehr- und Lernprojekt "Biodiversität in Großökosystemen" ; FELGENTREFF, C.: Hochwasser im Kontext. Zur Rekonstruktion des Oderhochwassers 1997 in Brandenburg und seiner Folgen ; GIEST, H.; WALGENBACH, W.: Entwicklung von Multimedia-Bausteinen zur Ökologischen Grundbildung ; GREIL, H. et al.: Anthropometrische Grundlagen für die Entwicklung maßgerechter 3D-Computersimulationen des menschlichen Körpers zum Einsatz bei der Gestaltung körpernaher Umweltelemente ; SCHEFFLER, C. et al.: Maß- und funktionsgerechte Gestaltung der körpernahen Umwelt älterer Menschen ; SCHILITZ, A. et al.: Körperliche Entwicklung von Brandenburger Schülern und Schülerinnen als Indikator für komplexe Veränderungen von Umweltbedingungen ; SEGERT, A.; ZIERKE, I.: Handlungsstrukturen in einer ökologisch orientierten Genossenschaft ; WIPPER, R.: Interaktive multimediale Bildungssoftware "Ökosystem Wald - Artenvielfalt in Brandenburg" Y1 - 2000 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-3812 SN - 1434-2375 SN - 1611-9339 VL - 8 SP - 12 EP - 52 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Martin, Lidia A1 - Dorjee, Binu A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Positive influence of parental education on growth of children BT - statistical analysis of correlation between social and nutritional JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger N2 - 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. KW - parental educational status KW - social classification KW - body height Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2020/1177 SN - 0003-5548 SN - 2363-7099 VL - 77 IS - 5 SP - 375 EP - 387 PB - Schweizerbart science publishers CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Dammhahn, Melanie T1 - Feminization of the fat distribution pattern of children and adolescents in a recent German population JF - American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council N2 - 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. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23017 SN - 1042-0533 SN - 1520-6300 VL - 29 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Özer, Aydan A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Affinity to host population stimulates physical growth in adult offspring of Turkish migrants in Germany JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology JF - Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - Because of political conflicts and climate change, migration will be increased worldwide and integration in host societies is a challenge also for migrants. We hypothesize that migrants, who take up the challenge in a new social environment are taller than migrants who do not pose this challenge. We analyze by a questionnaire possible social, nutritional and ethnic influencing factors to body height (BH) of adult offspring of Turkish migrants (n = 82, 39 males) aged from 18 to 34 years (mean age 24.6 years). The results of multiple regression (downward selection) show that the more a male adult offspring of Turkish migrants feels like belonging to the Turkish culture, the smaller he is (95% CI, -3.79, -0.323). Further, the more a male adult offspring of Turkish migrants feels like belonging to the German culture, the taller he is (95% CI, -0.152, 1.738). We discussed it comparable to primates taking up their challenge in dominance, where as a result their body size increase is associated with higher IGF-1 level. IGF-1 is associated with emotional belonging and has a fundamental role in the regulation of metabolism and growth of the human body. With all pilot characteristics of our study results show that the successful challenge of integration in a new society is strongly associated with the emotional integration and identification in the sense of a personal sense of belonging to society. We discuss taller BH as a signal of social growth adjustment. In this sense, a secular trend of BH adaptation of migrants to hosts is a sign of integration. KW - height of Turkish migrants KW - social identification KW - strategic growth adjustments Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2018/0825 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 74 IS - 5 SP - 359 EP - 364 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reimann, Anna A1 - Beyer, Rudolf A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Reference tables with centiles of limb to body height ratios of healthy human adults for assessing potential thalidomide embryopathy JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - thalidomide embryopathy KW - contergan KW - anthropometry KW - body proportions Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2019/0981 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 76 IS - 5 SP - 391 EP - 400 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Lack of evidence of nutritional influence on height in four low and middle-income countries JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - ‘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. KW - nutrition KW - height KW - children KW - low and middle-income Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2019/0988 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 76 IS - 5 SP - 421 EP - 432 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schönfeld, Vanessa A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Janewa, Arnab Ghosh T1 - Comparison of BMI and percentage of body fat of Indian and German children and adolescents Y1 - 2012 SN - 0003-5568 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Types of Body Shape JF - Auxology : Studying Human Growth and Development Y1 - 2013 SN - 978-3-510-65278-5 SP - 28 EP - 29 PB - Schweizerbart Science Publishers CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Entwicklung ausgewählter Körpermaße in Bezug zur Körperhöhe (Relativmaße) bei Kindern von der Geburt bis zum 3. Lebensjahr Y1 - 1996 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Körperlänge, Körpermasse und Kopfumfang bei Kindern von der Geburt bis zum 3. Lebensjahr Y1 - 1996 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schrade, Lisa A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Assessing the applicability of the digital laser rangefinder GLM Professional (R) Bosch 250 VF for anthropometric field studies JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - The digital laser rangefinder GLM Professional (R) BOSCH 250 VF was tested as a modified preproduction model with regard to its applicability of quantifying humans' height. The aim of this investigation was to determine and evaluate the instrument's precision, as well as its manageability within anthropometric field studies. Data collected by the digital laser rangefinder did not show a significant difference to data of control by an anthropometer. Furthermore, more than 96% of the difference values are located within area of agreement. Nevertheless, the GLM Professional (R) is a highly sensitive instrument and mean SD within threefold data acquisition is twice as high as SD resulting from data collection by an anthropometer. However, due to the minimal percentage differences within data acquisition and compared to the standard method, the GLM Professional (R) is proved to be a reliable instrument and to be highly applicable for anthropometric field studies. Furthermore, due to its excellent manageability and compact size, the GLM Professional (R) shows a very good applicability even for less trained anthropometrists and thus ameliorates the possibilities of collecting reliable data within anthropometric field studies. KW - anthropometric field studies KW - height KW - measuring instrument KW - digital laser range finder Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2013/0223 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 70 IS - 2 SP - 137 EP - 145 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Variable and Invariable Proportions in the Ontogenesis of the Human Face Y1 - 2013 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rietsch, Katrin A1 - Godina, Elena A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Decreased external skeletal robustness in schoolchildren : a global trend? Ten year comparison of Russian and German data Y1 - 2013 UR - http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0068195 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Obermüller, Janina T1 - Development of fat distrinution patterns in children and its association with the type of body shape assessed by the Metric-Index Y1 - 2012 SN - 0003-5548 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schrade, Lisa A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Assessing the applicability of the digital laser rangefinder GLM Professional Bosch 250 VF for anthropometric field studies Y1 - 2013 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Gniosdorz, Birgit A1 - Staub, Kaspar A1 - Rühli, Frank T1 - Skeletal robustness and bone strength as measured by anthropometry and ultrasonography as a function of physical activity in young adults Y1 - 2014 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Voigt, Andrea ED - Bodzsár, Eva ED - Susanne, Charles T1 - Physical Mobility of the Elderly - Anthropometric Data of Static and Dynamic Measurements, and Physiologic Parameters under Stress Conditions Y1 - 2008 SN - 978-963-06-5222-3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - The change of skeletal robustness of 6 - 12 years old children in Brandenburg (Germany) - Comparison of body composition 1999 - 2009 Y1 - 2011 SN - 0003-5548 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Voigt, Andrea A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Manual abilities of the elderly - handgrip strength, finger and thumb push strength and opening strength in age comparison Y1 - 2011 SN - 0003-5548 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Schüler, Grit T1 - Analysis of BMI of preschool children : results of longitudinal studies N2 - Exceeding weight gain in childhood is a prevailing issue in industrialised countries, such as in Germany. The aim of this study was to detect a critical age for exceeding weight gain. It is assumed that especially in the early years of life, the years of nursery school age, the individual development of weight is fundamental for the prediction of obesity. The data of 638 children (324 boys and 314 girls) and the data of additional 1390 children of a preceding longitudinal study were analysed. The results show that overweight newborns are not at higher risk of becoming overweight children later, in the first place. But the results identify a high risk of becoming overweight for children 4.5 years old through a BMI rebound. In addition, this comparably earlier BMI rebound is linked with an increasing percentage of body fat. This leads to the assumption, that a comparably early BMI rebound is remarkably atypical for healthy child development. The results are also interrelated with the test person's sex. Endangered girls are of pyknomorphic body type. In contrast, the boys' results are independent of the body type. Obesity of boys therefore is strongly assumed to be caused by environmental factors. Y1 - 2009 UR - http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/schweiz/aa U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2009/0007 SN - 0003-5548 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rietsch, Katrin A1 - Godina, Elena A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Decreased External Skeletal Robustness in Schoolchildren - a Global Trend? ; Ten Year Comparison of Russian and German Data JF - PLoS one N2 - Objectives: Obesity and a reduced physical activity are global developments. Physical activity affects the external skeletal robustness which decreased in German children. It was assumed that the negative trend of decreased external skeletal robustness can be found in other countries. Therefore anthropometric data of Russian and German children from the years 2000 and 2010 were compared. Methods: Russian (2000/2010 n = 1023/268) and German (2000/2010 n = 2103/1750) children aged 6-10 years were investigated. Height, BMI and external skeletal robustness (Frame-Index) were examined and compared for the years and the countries. Statistical analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney-Test. Results: Comparison 2010 and 2000: In Russian children BMI was significantly higher; boys were significantly taller and exhibited a decreased Frame-Index (p = .002) in 2010. German boys showed significantly higher BMI in 2010. In both sexes Frame-Index (p = .001) was reduced in 2010. Comparison Russian and German children in 2000: BMI, height and Frame-Index were different between Russian and German children. German children were significantly taller but exhibited a lower Frame-Index (p<.001). Even German girls showed a significantly higher BMI. Comparison Russian and German children in 2010: BMI and Frame-Index were different. Russian children displayed a higher Frame-Index (p<.001) compared with Germans. Conclusions: In Russian children BMI has increased in recent years. Frame-Index is still higher in Russian children compared with Germans however in Russian boys Frame-Index is reduced. This trend and the physical activity should be observed in the future. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068195 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 7 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Janewa, Vanessa Schönfeld A1 - Ghosh, Arnab A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Comparison of BMI and percentage of body fat of Indian and German children and adolescents JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - Today, serious health problems as overweight and obesity are not just constricted to the developed world, but also increase in the developing countries (Prentice 2006, Ramachandram et al. 2002). Focusing on this issue, BMI and percentage of body fat were compared in 2094 schoolchildren from two cross-sectional studies from India and Germany investigated in 2008 and 2009. The German children are in all age groups significantly taller, whereas the Indian children show higher values in BMI (e.g. 12 years: Indian: around 22 kg/m(2); German: around 19 kg/m(2)) and in the percentage of body fat (e.g. 12 years: Indian: around 27 %; German: around 18-20%) in most of the investigated age groups. The Indian children have significantly higher BMI between 10 and 13 (boys) respectively 14 years (girls). Indian children showed significant higher percentage of body fat between 10 and 15 years (boys) and between 8 and 16 years (girls). The difference in overweight between Indian and German children was strongest at 11 (boys) and 12 (girls) years: 70 % of the Indian but 20% of the German children were classified as overweight. In countries such as India that undergo nutritional transition, a rapid increase in obesity and overweight is observed. In contrast to the industrialized countries, the risk of overweight in developing countries is associated with high socioeconomic status. Other reasons of the rapid increase of overweight in the developing countries caused by different environmental or genetic factors are discussed. KW - Overweight KW - school children KW - industrial and developing countries Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2012/0170 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 69 IS - 2 SP - 175 EP - 187 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Brinkmann, Stefanie A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - The relation between anthropometric measures of the body and back pain of nurses under work-related physical stress T2 - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie Y1 - 2011 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 68 IS - 4 SP - 490 EP - 491 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Gniosdorz, Birgit A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - The variability of bone strength and skeletal robustness of young men - how it can be influenced T2 - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie Y1 - 2011 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 68 IS - 4 SP - 497 EP - 498 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Rietsch, Katrin A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Association between skeletal robustness and physical activity in schoolchildren - First results T2 - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie Y1 - 2011 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 68 IS - 4 SP - 516 EP - 516 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - How many skeletons do we need? - An evolutionary approach of the change of skeleton measures in school children in the last decade T2 - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie Y1 - 2011 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 68 IS - 4 SP - 519 EP - 519 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Voigt, Andrea A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Manual abilities of the elderly - handgrip strength, finger and thumb push strength and opening strength in age comparison JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - elderly KW - torque KW - handgrip strength KW - opening strength Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2011/0090 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 68 IS - 2 SP - 167 EP - 173 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - The change of skeletal robustness of 6-12 years old children in Brandenburg (Germany) - Comparison of body composition 1999-2009 JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - school children KW - body composition KW - skeletal robustness Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2011/0095 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 68 IS - 2 SP - 153 EP - 165 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Gniosdorz, Birgit A1 - Staub, Kaspar A1 - Ruehli, Frank T1 - Skeletal Robustness and Bone Strength as Measured by Anthropometry and Ultrasonography as a Function of Physical Activity in Young Adults JF - American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council N2 - 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. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22504 SN - 1042-0533 SN - 1520-6300 VL - 26 IS - 2 SP - 215 EP - 220 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Variable and invariable proportions in the ontogenesis of the human face JF - 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 N2 - 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. KW - Human face KW - face proportions KW - ontogenesis KW - principal component analysis Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/SCS.0b013e31826d07a3 SN - 1049-2275 VL - 24 IS - 1 SP - 237 EP - 241 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - Philadelphia ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Obermüller, Janina T1 - Development of fat distribution patterns in children and its association with the type of body shape assessed by the Metric-Index JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - school children KW - type of body shape KW - risk of overweight KW - prevention Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2011/0138 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 69 IS - 1 SP - 45 EP - 55 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sander, Martha Maria A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Bilateral asymmetry in left handers increased concerning morphological laterality in a recent sample of young adults JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie KW - anthropometry KW - handedness KW - laterality KW - bilateral asymmetry KW - left handers KW - upper extremity KW - reskilling KW - elbow breadth Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2016/0663 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 73 SP - 335 EP - 342 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lehmann, Andreas A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - 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 JF - American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council N2 - 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. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22854 SN - 1042-0533 SN - 1520-6300 VL - 28 SP - 705 EP - 713 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - A stature of one meter : how is the variability? Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Noth, Veronika A1 - Greil, Holle A1 - Lange, Elke A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Strategien zur Handhabung von Verschlüssen im Kleinkind- und Vorschulalter Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Bewegungsmuster in Alltagssituationen Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Jaeger, Uwe T1 - Industrieanthropologie Y1 - 2001 SN - 3-89873-228-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Vergleich ausgewählter Bewegungsabläufe beim Menschen in Abhängigkeit vom Alter und Körperbau Y1 - 2001 SN - 3-89873-228-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Greil, Holle A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Body mobility, reaction and concentration in young and elderly adults Y1 - 2000 SN - 953-96073-5-3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Greil, Holle T1 - Body measurements, room demand and movement sequences of the elderly Y1 - 2000 SN - 953-96073-5-3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Körperbau, Bewegungsmöglichkeiten und Konzentrationsfähigkeit älterer Menschen Y1 - 2000 SN - 3-89712-961-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Greil, Holle A1 - Jürgens, Hans Wilhelm A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Schröder, Inge T1 - Anthropometrische Grundlagen für die Entwicklung maßgerechter 3D-Computersimulationen des menschlichen Körpers zum Einsatz bei der Gestaltung körpernaher Umweltelemente Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schilitz, Anja A1 - Greil, Holle A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Körperliche Entwicklung von Brandenburger Schülern und Schülerinnen als Indikator für komplexe Veränderungen von Umweltbedingungen Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Greil, Holle A1 - Schröder, Inge T1 - Maß- und funktionsgerechte Gestaltung der körpernahen Umwelt älterer Menschen Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Godina, Elena A1 - Koziel, Slawomir A1 - Musalek, Martin A1 - Sedlak, Petr A1 - Wittwer-Backofen, Ursula A1 - Hess, Volker A1 - Dasgupta, Parasmani A1 - Henneberg, Maciej A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - External skeletal robusticity of children and adolescents BT - European references from birth to adulthood and international comparisons JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology JF - Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2018/0826 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 74 IS - 5 SP - 383 EP - 391 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Baumgart, Ute A1 - Binder, Karin A1 - Ceglarek, Petra A1 - Degener, Mirko A1 - Henrich, Ruth A1 - Herboth, Jörg A1 - Höhne, Janet A1 - Krieger, Helga A1 - Lohwaßer, Roswitha A1 - Metz, Anna-Marie A1 - Piotrowski, Horst A1 - Rode, Jürgen A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Gesundheitsförderung an der Hochschule T3 - Schriftenreihe des VDSI Y1 - 2001 SN - 3-929526-63-8 VL - 21 PB - Schubert CY - Leipzig ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Musalek, Martin A1 - Kokstejn, Jakub A1 - Papez, Pavel A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Czernitzki, Anna-Franziska A1 - Koziel, Slawomir T1 - Impact of normal weight obesity on fundamental motor skills in pre-school children aged 3 to 6 years JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - normal weight obesity KW - fundamental motor skills KW - MABC-2 KW - performance KW - pre-school children KW - skinfolds KW - adipose tissue KW - lean mass Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2017/0752 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 74 SP - 203 EP - 212 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - THES A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Studies on plasticity within the universal pattern of growth and developmet of children and adolescents N2 - 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). N2 - Der anatomisch moderne Mensch Homo sapiens sapiens zeichnet sich durch eine hohe Anpassungsfähigkeit von Physiologie, Körperbau und Verhalten an sich kurzfristig ändernde Umweltbedingungen aus. Daraus ergibt sich die Frage inwieweit anthropogene Umweltbedingungen die sehr sensible Wachstumsphase von Kindern und Jugendlichen beeinflussen können. Das universelle und für den Menschen typische Wachstums- und Entwicklungsmuster mit unterschiedlichen biologisch, kognitiv und soziokulturell abgrenzbaren Entwicklungsstadien, welches sich in 6-7 Millionen Jahren menschlicher Evolution herausgebildet hat, unterscheidet sich von dem anderer langlebender sozialer Primaten. Phänotypische Plastizität ist die Fähigkeit eines Organismus sich in Form, Zustand, Aktivitätsrate oder Verhalten an unterschiedliche Umweltbedingungen anzupassen (West-Eberhard 2003). Beim Menschen wird diese Plastizität u.a. sichtbar, wenn sich anthropometrisch bestimmbare Merkmale im Vergleich von Populationen in relativ kurzer Zeit ändern. Der Schwerpunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, altersspezifische Änderung von Körpermaßen (Skelettbreiten, Körperendhöhe und Fettverteilungsmuster) aufeinanderfolgender Populationen in Abhängigkeit von neuen Umweltparametern zu vergleichen. Dem liegen ca. 75 000 anthropo-metrische Datensätzen von Kindern und Jugendlichen seit 1980 bis heute und historische Datensätze aus der Literatur zugrunde. Aufgrund verringerter alltäglicher Bewegung haben heutige 6-18-Jährige geringere Werte der Becken- und der Ellenbogenbreiten. Die beobachtete Zunahme der Körperhöhe lässt sich entgegen früherer Erklärungen (Einfluss von Ernährung, guter Lebensbedingungen und Genetik) durch Hierarchien in sozialen Netzwerken menschlicher Gesellschaften erklären. Eine Verschiebung zu einem eher weiblichen Fettverteilungsmuster bei Jungen und Mädchen findet sich parallel zur Zunahme von Chemikalien in unserer Umwelt, die das Hormonsystem beeinflussen können. Die beschriebene Plastizität des Phänotyps findet im Rahmen des genetisch manifestierten Wachstumsmusters bei Kindern und Jugendlichen statt. Epigenetische Einflüsse können nicht ausgeschlossen werden, sind aber an Körpermaßdaten per se nicht bestimmbar. Die Veränderung der analysierten Körpermaße unterstreicht, dass der Phänotyp des Menschen sich an veränderte Umweltbedingungen sehr plastisch anpassen kann. Wegen der langsamen Generationenfolge und Entwicklung des Menschen sind derartige eigentlich kurzfristige Veränderungen nur über einen Zeitraum von mindestens 5-30 Jahren zu beobachten. KW - plasticity KW - skeletal breadth measurement KW - Fat Patterning KW - secular trend KW - body height Y1 - 2018 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lehmann, Andreas A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Kurvers, Ralf H. J. M. A1 - Dammhahn, Melanie T1 - Under pressure: human adolescents express a pace-of-life syndrome JF - Behavioral ecology and sociobiology N2 - 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. KW - Adolescence KW - Humans KW - Life history KW - Menarche KW - Physiology KW - Risk taking Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-018-2465-y SN - 0340-5443 SN - 1432-0762 VL - 72 IS - 3 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Navazo, Bárbara A1 - Oyhenart, Evelia A1 - Dahinten, Silvia A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Decrease of external skeletal robustness (Frame Index) between two cohorts of school children living in Puerto Madryn, Argentina at the beginning of the 21st century JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger N2 - Background: It has been shown that modern life style with reduced physical activity can lead to lower bone accumulation. Also a decline trend in external skeletal robustness in children and young adolescents, measured by the Frame Index (FI), seems to have a parallel trend with the increase in overweight and obesity. Based on these findings we estimate that likely, the FI should be changed after a decade in the Argentinean population as well as in others population of the world. Thereby, the aim of the present study was to describe, using the FI, the pattern of external skeletal robustness in school children aged 6-14 years from two cohorts of Argentina (Puerto Madryn, Chubut) and to compare them with the European reference (Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Russia). Methods: Elbow breadth and height of Puerto Madryn school children were collected in two cross-sectional studies conducted between 2001-2006 (cohort 1 = C1) and 2014-2016 (cohort 2 = C2). Percentiles (P) values, for males and females, from C1 and C2 were calculated combining the LMSmethod and its extension. A t-test has been used to compare, by age and sex, the FI values between the Argentinean cohorts and the European reference (ER). Then, in order to know the percentage of the variation of the percentiles values between cohorts, as well as with ER, percent differences between means (PDM%) were employed. Results: FI from Argentinean cohorts differed significantly from ER. Even more, C2 was not only smaller than ER, but also than C1. In males, C1-C2 showed significant differences at 6-8, 11 and 12 years and in females at all ages. Then, respect to ER each Argentinean cohort showed significant differences in males of C1 at 6, 12-14 years and in females at 6 and 11-14 years; and of C2, in both sexes, from 6 to 14 years. The PDM% values for elbow breadth of male were negative in ER-C1 in all percentiles analyzed; in ER-C2 positive (P3 and P50) and negative (P97) and C1-C2 recorded positive values. In females, elbow breadth showed negative values for ER-C1 (P50 and P97), and positive for the remaining values. Finally, height registered, in both sexes, negative values in ER-C1 (except P97 in females), ER-C2 and C1-C2. Conclusions: After ten years of the first study carried on in Puerto Madryn, school children show a negative trend in the external skeletal robustness. Additionally, the children of both Argentinean cohorts have lower values compared to the European reference, and mainly the actual cohort. This situation would be explained, in part, by the progressive increase over time of overweight and obesity as consequence, among others, of the change in the quantity and/or quality of the food that children have access to and with the physical activity they do at school and outside. KW - elbow breadth KW - height KW - skeletal robustness KW - school children KW - Argentina Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2020/1182 SN - 0003-5548 SN - 2363-7099 VL - 77 IS - 5 SP - 405 EP - 413 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Novina, Novina A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Pulungan, Aman B. A1 - Ismiarto, Yoyos Dias A1 - Andriyana, Yudhie A1 - Biben, Vitriana A1 - Setiabudiawan, Budi T1 - Indonesian National Growth Reference Charts better reflect height and weight of children in West Java, Indonesia, than WHO Child Growth Standards JF - Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology N2 - 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. KW - Anthropometric measurement KW - Indonesian National Growth Reference Charts KW - World Health Organization Child Growth Standards KW - Bandung District KW - children KW - undernutrition Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4274/jcrpe.galenos.2020.2020.0044 SN - 1308-5727 SN - 1308-5735 VL - 12 IS - 4 SP - 410 EP - 419 PB - Galenos Yayincilik CY - Istanbul ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Pulungan, Aman B. A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Rogol, Alan D. A1 - Pop, Raluca A1 - Swanson, James M. A1 - Sonuga-Barke, Edmund A1 - Reimann, Anna A1 - Siniarska-Wolanska, Anna A1 - Musalek, Martin A1 - Bogin, Barry A1 - Boldsen, Jesper L. A1 - Tassenaar, (Vincent) A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Liu, Yuk-Chien A1 - Meigen, Christof A1 - Quanjer, Bjorn A1 - Thompson, Kristina A1 - Ozer, Baak Koca A1 - Bryl, Ewa A1 - Mamrot, Paula A1 - Hanc, Tomasz A1 - Koziel, Slawomir A1 - Soderhall, Jani A1 - Gomula, Aleksandra A1 - Banik, Sudip Datta A1 - Roelants, Mathieu A1 - Veldre, Gudrun A1 - Lieberman, Leslie Sue A1 - Sievert, Lynnette Leidy T1 - Meeting Reports BT - The Role of Beliefs and Perception on Body Size. Proceedings of the 26th Aschauer Soiree, Held at Aschauhof, Altenhof, Germany, May 26th, 2018 JF - Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews N2 - 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. KW - Body size KW - Social group KW - Social network KW - Body perception KW - Competitive growth strategies KW - Growth adjustment Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.17458/per.vol16.2019.hps.mr.26achauersoiree SN - 1565-4753 VL - 16 IS - 3 SP - 383 EP - 400 PB - Medical Media CY - Netanya ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Stunting does not impair physical fitness in Indonesian school children JF - Human biology and public health N2 - 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. KW - stunting KW - standing long jump KW - handgrip strength KW - SEPE KW - frame index Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph.v2.19 SN - 2748-9957 IS - 2 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rösler, Antonia A1 - Gasparatos, Nikolaos A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Practicability and user-friendliness of height measurements by proof of concept APP using Augmented Reality, in 22 healthy children JF - Human biology and public health N2 - 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. KW - body height KW - guideline KW - augmented reality KW - daily home-made measurements KW - iPhone KW - APP Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph2022.2.48 SN - 2748-9957 VL - 2022 IS - 2 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Pulungan, Aman B. A1 - Bandyopadhyay, Arup Ratan A1 - Ghosh, Jyoti Ratan A1 - Özdemir, Ayşegül A1 - Koca Özer, Başak A1 - Musalek, Martin A1 - Lebedeva, Lidia A1 - Godina, Elena A1 - Bogin, Barry A1 - Tutkuviene, Janina A1 - Budrytė, Milda A1 - Gervickaite, Simona A1 - Limony, Yehuda A1 - Kirchengast, Sylvia A1 - Buston, Peter A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Rösler, Antonia A1 - Gasparatos, Nikolaos A1 - Erofeev, Sergei A1 - Novine, Masiar A1 - Navazo, Bárbara A1 - Dahinten, Silvia A1 - Gomuła, Aleksandra A1 - Nowak-Szczepańska, Natalia A1 - Kozieł, Sławomir T1 - Environment, social behavior, and growth BT - Proceedings of the 30th Aschauer Soiree, held at Krobielowice, Poland, June 18th 2022 JF - Human biology and public health N2 - 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. KW - St. Nicolas House Analysis KW - child growth KW - body proportions KW - social network KW - public health KW - migration Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph2023.1.59 SN - 2748-9957 VL - 1 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Human growth data analysis and statistics – the 5th Gülpe International Student Summer School JF - Human biology and public health N2 - The Summer School in Gülpe (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 Gülpe 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. KW - Summer Schools KW - Statistical Exercise KW - Repetition Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph2023.1.70 SN - 2748-9957 VL - 1 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rösler, Antonia A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - No evidence of growth impairment after forced migration in Polish school children after World War II JF - Human biology and public health N2 - 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. KW - nutrition KW - stunting KW - socioeconomy KW - education KW - secular changes KW - pubertal timing Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph2023.1.68 SN - 2748-9957 VL - 1 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rebekka Mumm, A1 - Reimann, Anna A1 - Scheffler, Christiane ED - Scheffler, Christiane ED - Koziel, Slawomir ED - Hermanussen, Michael ED - Bogin, Barry T1 - Estimation of percentage of body fat in field studies – a method based on relative elbow breadth (Frame Index) and BMI T2 - Human Biology and Public Health N2 - 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. KW - body fat estimator KW - body composition KW - skeletal robusticity KW - hidden obesity KW - normal weigh obese Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph.v1.3 SN - 2748-9957 VL - 2021 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Martin, Lidia A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Waxmonsky, James G. A1 - Swanson, James A1 - Nowak-Szczepanska, Natalia A1 - Gomula, Aleksandra A1 - Apanasewicz, Anna A1 - Konarski, Jan M. A1 - Malina, Robert M. A1 - Bartkowiak, Sylwia A1 - Lebedeva, Lidia A1 - Suchomlinov, Andrej A1 - Konstantinov, Vsevolod A1 - Blum, Werner A1 - Limony, Yehuda A1 - Chakraborty, Raja A1 - Kirchengast, Sylvia A1 - Tutkuviene, Janina A1 - Jakimaviciene, Egle Marija A1 - Cepuliene, Ramune A1 - Franken, Daniel A1 - Navazo, Bárbara A1 - Moelyo, Annang G. A1 - Satake, Takashi A1 - Koziel, Slawomir ED - Scheffler, Christiane ED - Koziel, Slawomir ED - Hermanussen, Michael ED - Bogin, Barry T1 - Growth, Nutrition and Economy BT - Proceedings of the 27th Aschauer Soiree, held at Krobielowice, Poland, November 16th 2019 T2 - Human Biology and Public Health N2 - 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. KW - nutrition KW - stunting KW - socioeconomy KW - education KW - secular changes KW - pubertal timing Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph.v1.1 SN - 2748-9957 VL - 2021 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Boeker, Sonja A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane ED - Scheffler, Christiane ED - Koziel, Slawomir ED - Hermanussen, Michael ED - Bogin, Barry T1 - Westernization of self-perception in modern affluent Indonesian school children T2 - Human Biology and Public Health N2 - 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. KW - self-perception KW - social status KW - westernization KW - cultural dependence Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph.v1.4 SN - 2748-9957 VL - 2021 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Rogol, Alan D. A1 - Iancu, Mirela A1 - Hanc, Tomasz A1 - Moelyo, Annang Giri A1 - Suchomlinov, Andrej A1 - Lebedeva, Lidia A1 - Limony, Yehuda A1 - Musalek, Martin A1 - Veldre, Gudrun A1 - Godina, Elena Z. A1 - Kirchengast, Sylvia A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Tutkuviene, Janina A1 - Böker, Sonja A1 - Ozer, Basak Koca A1 - Navazo, Barbara A1 - Spake, Laure A1 - Koziel, Slawomir A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Growth during times of fear and emotional stress BT - Proceedings of the 28th Aschauer Soiree, held at Potsdam, Germany, and online, November 14th 2020 JF - Human biology and public health N2 - 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. KW - stunting KW - birth weight KW - fear KW - emotional stress KW - economy KW - SEPE Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph.v2.15 SN - 2748-9957 IS - 2 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Nguyen, Thi Hong A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Vietnamese migrants are as tall as they want to be JF - Human biology and public health N2 - 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. KW - body height KW - regulation of growth KW - migrants KW - Social-Economic-Political-Emotional (SEPE) factors Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph.v2.12 SN - 2748-9957 IS - 2 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gasparatos, Nikolaos A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Assessing the applicability of changepoint analysis to analyse short-term growth JF - Human biology and public health N2 - Background: Assessing short-term growth in humans is still fraught with difficulties. Especially when looking for small variations and increments, such as mini growth spurts, high precision instruments or frequent measurements are necessary. Daily measurements however require a lot of effort, both for anthropologists and for the subjects. Therefore, new sophisticated approaches are needed that reduce fluctuations and reveal underlying patterns. Objectives: Changepoints are abrupt variations in the properties of time series data. In the context of growth, such variations could be variation in mean height. By adjusting the variance and using different growth models, we assessed the ability of changepoint analysis to analyse short-term growth and detect mini growth spurts. Sample and Methods: We performed Bayesian changepoint analysis on simulated growth data using the bcp package in R. Simulated growth patterns included stasis, linear growth, catch-up growth, and mini growth spurts. Specificity and a normalised variant of the Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) were used to assess the algorithm’s performance. Welch’s t-test was used to compare differences of the mean. Results: First results show that changepoint analysis can detect mini growth spurts. However, the ability to detect mini growth spurts is highly dependent on measurement error. Data preparation, such as ranking and rotating time series data, showed negligible improvements. Missing data was an issue and may affect the prediction quality of the classification metrics. Conclusion: Changepoint analysis is a promising tool to analyse short-term growth. However, further optimisation and analysis of real growth data is needed to make broader generalisations. KW - changepoint analysis KW - changepoint detection KW - performance evaluation KW - mini growth spurt KW - short-term growth Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52905/hbph2023.1.62 SN - 2748-9957 VL - 1 PB - Universitätsverlag Potsdam CY - Potsdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Rogol, Alan D. T1 - Stunting BT - historical lessons that catch-up growth tells us for mapping growth restoration JF - Archives of disease in childhood : a peer review journal for health professionals and researchers covering conception to adolescence Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2020-319240 SN - 0003-9888 SN - 1468-2044 VL - 106 IS - 8 SP - 819 EP - 820 PB - BMJ Publishing Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Godina, Elena A1 - Ruehli, Frank J. A1 - Blaha, Pawel A1 - Boldsen, Jesper L. A1 - van Buuren, Stef A1 - MacIntyre, Matthew A1 - Aßmann, Christian A1 - Ghosh, Arunava A1 - de Stefano, Gian Fra nco A1 - Sonkin, Valentin D. A1 - Tresguerres Hernández, Jesús Ángel Fernández A1 - Meigen, Christof A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Geiger, Cherie L. A1 - Lieberman, Leslie Sue T1 - Growth variation, final height and secular trend : proceedings of the 17th Aschauer Soiree, 7th November 2009 N2 - 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. Y1 - 2010 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0018442X U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchb.2010.06.001 SN - 0018-442X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Franke-Gromberg, Christine A1 - Schüler, Grit A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Digital 2D-photogrammetry and direct anthropometry : a comparing study on test accomplishment and measurement data N2 - 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. Y1 - 2010 UR - http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/schweiz/aa U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2010/0012 SN - 0003-5548 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lehmann, Andreas A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - The variation in age at menarche : an indicator of historic developmental tempo N2 - 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. Y1 - 2010 UR - http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/schweiz/aa U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2010/0086 SN - 0003-5548 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lehmann, Andreas A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - 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 N2 - 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. Y1 - 2010 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0018442X U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchb.2009.11.003 SN - 0018-442X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Lieberman, L. S. A1 - Schönfeld Janewa, U. A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ghosh, A. A1 - Bogin, Barry A1 - Godina, E. A1 - Kaczmarek, M. A1 - El-Shabrawi, M. A1 - Salama, E. E. A1 - Rühli, F. J. A1 - Staub, K. A1 - Woitek, U. A1 - Blaha, Pawel A1 - vanBuurren, S. A1 - Lehmann, A. A1 - Satake, T. A1 - Thodberg, H. H. A1 - Jopp, E. A1 - Kirchengast, S. A1 - Tutkuviene, J. A1 - McIntyre, M. H. A1 - Wittwer-Backofen, U. A1 - Boldsen, J. L. A1 - Martin, D. D. A1 - Meier, J. T1 - Diversity in auxology: between theory and practice Proceedings of the 18th Aschauer Soiree, 13th November 2010 Y1 - 2012 SN - 0003-5548 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane ED - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Body composition JF - Auxology : Studying Human Growth and Development Y1 - 2013 SN - 978-3-510-65278-5 SP - 30 EP - 31 PB - Schweizerbart Science Publishers CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Lehmann, Andreas A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Psychosocial Pressure and Menarche A Review of Historic Evidence for Social Amenorrhea JF - Obstetrical & gynecological survey N2 - Objective: The age of menarche is usually considered to be affected by nutritional, health-related, social, and economic factors and has significantly decreased since the mid-19th century. The present study was performed to investigate whether the timing of menarche paralleled the general acceleration of physical development, or whether this pattern differed. Study Design: In all, 30 German studies on menarcheal age (n = > 200) since 1848 were collected. Frequency distributions were analyzed. Results: During the second half of the 19th and the early 20th century, mean menarcheal age decreased from 18 to 12-13 years in Europe. Yet, the data fail to support the conventional hypothesis that menarcheal age mainly depends on nutritional, health, and economic factors. Conclusions: We suggest that later than usual menarche may not necessarily be regarded as a physical illness, but in view of the apparently physiological delay of menarche in the 19th century, may be viewed as "collective social amenorrhea." Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists and Family Physicians. Learning Objectives: After participating in this CME activity, physicians should be better able to evaluate menarche as an indicator of developmental tempo in both historical and modern settings, compare menarche in healthy mid-19th century girls with menarche in average modern girls, and assess the marked sensitivity of full pubertal development to environmental circumstances. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/OGX.0b013e31824c94ad SN - 0029-7828 VL - 67 IS - 4 SP - 237 EP - 241 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - Philadelphia ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Is there an influence of modern life style on skeletal build? JF - American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council N2 - 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. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22561 SN - 1042-0533 SN - 1520-6300 VL - 26 IS - 5 SP - 590 EP - 597 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Lieberman, Leslie Su A1 - Janewa, V. Schoenfeld A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Ghosh, Arunava A1 - Bogin, Barry A1 - Godina, Elena A1 - Kaczmarek, M. A1 - El-Shabrawi, M. A1 - Salama, E. E. A1 - Rühli, Frank J. A1 - Staub, Kaspar A1 - Woitek, U. A1 - Blaha, Pawel A1 - Aßmann, Christian A1 - van Buuren, Stef A1 - Lehmann, A. A1 - Satake, T. A1 - Thodberg, H. H. A1 - Jopp, E. A1 - Kirchengast, S. A1 - Tutkuviene, J. A1 - McIntyre, M. H. A1 - Wittwer-Backofen, U. A1 - Boldsen, Jesper L. A1 - Martin, D. D. A1 - Meier, J. T1 - Diversity in auxology between theory and practice JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - child growth KW - adolescent growth KW - child development KW - height KW - weight KW - body mass KW - socio-economic environment Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2012/0133 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 69 IS - 2 SP - 159 EP - 174 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Developing differential height, weight and body mass index references for girls that reflect the impact of the menarche JF - Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child N2 - Aim Growth is both a matter of amplitude and tempo. We aimed to develop references for body height, body weight and body mass index (BMI) with respect to tempo of maturity. Methods Data obtained from the German KiGGS study (2003-2006) on body height, body weight and presence or absence of the menarche were re-analysed in 3776 girls, aged 10-17years. We developed smoothed centiles for BMI-, body-height- and body-weight-for-age using the LMS method for premenarcheal and postmenarcheal girls. Results Body height, body weight and BMI differed significantly between premenarcheal and postmenarcheal girls. On average, postmenarcheal girls aged 11-17years were 5.3cm taller and 9.7kg heavier, and their BMI was 2.9kg/m2 higher than in premenarcheal girls of the same calendar age. Conclusion Adolescent BMI rises with calendar age and biological age. New reference charts for adolescent girls aged 10-18years were generated to be inserted into the currently used references to avoid misclassifying underweight and overweight pubertal girls. KW - Body mass index KW - Body mass index reference values KW - Menarche KW - Obesity KW - Overweight Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.12625 SN - 0803-5253 SN - 1651-2227 VL - 103 IS - 7 SP - e312 EP - e316 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Lehmann, Andreas A1 - Tryggvadottir, Laufey A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Menarcheal age and body height in Iceland in the last century T2 - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie Y1 - 2011 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 68 IS - 4 SP - 507 EP - 508 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Lehmann, Andreas A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Sexuelle Reifeentwicklung & Menarchealter : Bedeutung des psychosozialen Umfeldes damals und heute Y1 - 2012 SN - 0179-9185 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane ED - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Determining body composition in field studies JF - Auxology : Studying Human Growth and Development Y1 - 2013 SN - 978-3-510-65278-5 SP - 32 EP - 33 PB - Schweizerbart Science Publishers CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane ED - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Comparative Biology and Human Life History JF - Auxology : Studying Human Growth and Development Y1 - 2013 SN - 978-3-510-65278-5 SP - 38 EP - 41 PB - Schweizerbart Science Publishers CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Aßmann, Christian T1 - Height and skeletal morphology in relation to modern life style T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - 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. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 869 KW - pelvic breadth KW - elbow breadth KW - growth KW - adult height KW - community effect in height Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-434814 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 869 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Ipsen, Josefin A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Assmann, Christian A1 - Quitmann, Julia A1 - Gomula, Aleksandra A1 - Lehmann, Andreas A1 - Jasch, Isabelle A1 - Tassenaar, Vincent A1 - Bogin, Barry A1 - Satake, Takashi A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Nunez, Javier A1 - Godina, Elena A1 - Hardeland, Ruediger A1 - Boldsen, Jesper L. A1 - El-Shabrawi, Mortada A1 - Elhusseini, Mona A1 - Barbu, Carmen Gabriela A1 - Pop, Ralucca A1 - Soederhaell, Jani A1 - Merker, Andrea A1 - Swanson, James A1 - Groth, Detlef T1 - Stunted Growth. Proceedings of the 23rd Aschauer Soiree, Held at Aschauhof, Germany, November 7th 2015 T2 - Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews N2 - 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. KW - Adolescent growth KW - Peer group KW - Growth hormone KW - Community effect KW - Body height Y1 - 2016 SN - 1565-4753 VL - 13 SP - 756 EP - 767 PB - Medical Media CY - Netanya ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Stature signals status: The association of stature, status and perceived dominance - a thought experiment JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie N2 - 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. KW - community effect on height KW - secular trend KW - body height KW - social signals KW - strategic growth adjustment Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2016/0698 SN - 0003-5548 VL - 73 SP - 265 EP - 274 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Groth, Detlef A1 - Aßmann, Christian T1 - Height and skeletal morphology in relation to modern life style JF - Journal of physiological anthropology N2 - 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. KW - Pelvic breadth KW - Elbow breadth KW - Growth KW - Adult height KW - Community effect in height Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-015-0080-4 SN - 1880-6805 VL - 34 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - voice break as the marker of biological age JF - Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child N2 - 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. KW - Body mass index KW - Developmental tempo KW - Growth reference values KW - Overweight KW - Voice break Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.13488 SN - 0803-5253 SN - 1651-2227 VL - 105 SP - e459 EP - e463 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER -