Generational changes in the growth of children from Maribor and Slovenia

Among the numerous factors which influence a child's growth and development are also factors of changeable socio-economic environment and life style. Our aim was to evaluate these changes and contribute to preventive measures and evaluation of a child's growth in pediatric practice. Therefore, we decided to estimate the state of body growth in two generations of children from Maribor at five and six years of age of both gender, establish secular changes and define standards. On a representative sample (gender and age) of 1461 children from Maribor measured in 1996 and a sample of 608 children from Maribor, measured in 1966, 28 body features were studied and compared in each population unit. Variables were statistically and epidemiologically assessed and results were controlled by a test. The following anthropometric differences were significant: in 5-year old boys the measures in the 1996 generation are statistically higher than in 1966 - foot length, head length, upper arm skinfold, subscapular skinfold, arm length, arm diameter, upper thigh skinfold, stature (length), suprailiac skinfold, and body weight. Decreased measures are: abdomen circumference, knee circumference, sitting height, elbow circumference, biacromial diameter, and face heigth. In 6-year old boys additional features have increased in comparison with the year 1966: sternal height, tight circumference, hip width, chest circumference; following measures have decreased: face height, head circumference. In 5-year old girls: increased measures in comparison with the generation from 1966 are: lower leg length, head length, ankle circumference, upper arm skinfold, body weight, billiac diameter, body height, subscapular skinfold, chest circumference, hip circumference, sternal height, suprailiac skinfold, decreased measures are: head circumference, elbow circumference, face circumference, shoulder with, sitting height. In 6-year old girls additional measures are increased: wrist circumference, arm length and chest circumference. Changing trends show an increased tendency towards decrease or increase of most body measurements. In everyday practice the most commonly used measurements are: body mass, head circumference, body length in babies and body height in pre-school children. Our measurements proved, with a p-value of 0.001, that measurements of children in 1966, also shown in diagrams, are significantly different from measurements in 1996. In the second part of this paper we present a part of the anthropometric measurement study carried out for the standardization of the DENVER II developmental screening test. There were 1596 healthy Slovene children between zero and six and half years of age included into the observation. Children come from Maribor, Koper, Velenje and Ljubljana. We used the Cameron's measurement and statistical method. Diagrams were made for following body measures: body mass, body height, head circumference, upper arm circumference, thigh circumference and body mass index. A comparative analysis with the Euro-Growth study showed that our results correspond with the European standards. Therefore, our results are suggested to be applied in everyday pediatric practice.