[Morphometric assessment of gender differences in human constitution].

Area of Science:

• Anthropometry
• Biometrics
• Human Physiology

Context:

• Assessing body composition in adolescents and young adults is crucial for understanding health and development.
• Existing indices may not fully capture nuanced physiological differences between genders.
• This study explores novel anthropometric indices for a more accurate assessment.

Purpose:

• To introduce and evaluate novel body composition indices: BMI2 (M/H3), BFI (S/M2/3), IBBI ((M/H3)1/2), and BFI (M/HC2).
• To determine if these indices exhibit significant gender-based variations in young adults.
• To investigate the impact of using conventional body volume, derived from average statistical body density, on these index calculations.

Summary:

• Four new indices were calculated for 154 girls and 58 young men (aged 17-21).
• Indices included BMI2, BFI, IBBI, and a second BFI, using wrist circumference (C), height (H), mass (M), and area (S).
• Significant gender differences were observed when indices were based on conventional body volume, adjusted by sex-specific densities (men: 1.064 kg/dm3, women: 1.034 kg/dm3).

Impact:

• Provides a more refined method for assessing body composition and identifying potential sex-based physiological differences.
• These novel indices may improve the accuracy of health assessments and research in young populations.
• Highlights the importance of considering body density in anthropometric calculations for precise gender comparisons.