[Corporeal development of preschool children. Investigations in Szeged (South Hungary)]
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A 1981 study in Szeged found no significant changes in body height, weight, or chest circumference among 3-6.5 year olds compared to 1962 data, indicating a halt in the secular growth trend for this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric anthropometry
- Human growth and development
- Public health surveillance
Context:
- Investigated anthropometric data (body height, body weight, chest circumference) of children aged 3-6.5 years in Szeged, Hungary.
- Compared 1981 data (766 boys, 752 girls) with historical data from 1962 in the same population.
- Assessed changes in physical growth parameters over a 19-year period.
Purpose:
- To determine if the secular trend in child growth, previously observed, persisted in Szeged.
- To analyze anthropometric variables in a cohort of young children.
- To evaluate contemporary growth patterns in relation to historical data.
Summary:
- No statistically significant differences were observed in body height, body weight, or chest circumference between children measured in 1981 and those measured in 1962.
- The findings suggest a stabilization or cessation of the secular growth trend in the studied pediatric population.
- Anthropometric measurements indicate that recent generations of children in Szeged are not exhibiting accelerated growth compared to earlier ones.
Impact:
- Suggests a potential plateauing of the secular growth trend in this Hungarian population.
- Provides baseline data for future longitudinal growth studies in pediatric populations.
- Informs public health strategies related to child nutrition and development.
Abstract:
766 boys and 752 girls in the age between 3-6.5 years have been investigated 1981 in Szeged (South Hungary) for body height, body weight and chest circumference. Comparing these children to those of the same age, which have been investigated 1962 in the same town - Szeged -, no statistically significant differences in the anthropometric variables taken into consideration are seen. This means that the secular trend in growth--being present in earlier times--nowadays is no more to be observed in this population.