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LEVEL OF SOMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AGED SIX YEARS FROM AN URBAN AGGLOMERATION IN POLAND WITH RESPECT TO

Dorota Trzcińska1, Piotr Tabor1, Elżbieta Olszewska1

  • 1Josef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw,Poland.

Journal of Biosocial Science
|November 14, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Somatic development in Polish urban children is linked to family socioeconomic factors, particularly mother's education. However, these biological effects of social stratification appear diminished in urban settings.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Anthropometry
  • Sociology of Health

Background:

  • Socioeconomic factors significantly influence child development.
  • Understanding somatic development in urban children is crucial for public health.
  • Previous research indicates varying impacts of social stratification on physical growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the somatic development of preschool and early primary school children in Warsaw.
  • To investigate the relationship between somatic development and socioeconomic/educational conditions.
  • To determine the extent of social stratification's biological effects in an urban agglomeration.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 742 children (aged ~5.8 years) from Warsaw kindergartens.
  • Anthropometric measurements included body height and sum of six skinfolds.
  • Questionnaire data assessed socioeconomic and educational family conditions; analysis used descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and chi-squared tests.

Main Results:

  • Significant relationships were found between somatic development parameters and family living conditions.
  • Mother's education showed the most prominent differences in somatic build between clusters for both sexes.
  • Boys' somatic build varied with family size; girls' build varied with father's employment and education.

Conclusions:

  • Socioeconomic factors, especially parental education, are associated with somatic development in urban children.
  • The biological impact of social stratification on somatic development appears reduced in urban environments.
  • Findings suggest that urban settings may buffer some effects of social inequalities on child physical growth.

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