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Age variations in sibling correlations for height, sitting height and weight
E Rebato1, I Salces, L San Martín
1University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain.
Annals of Human Biology
|December 13, 1997
Summary
Sibling resemblance for height and sitting height increases with age, particularly after puberty. Genetic factors play a larger role in bone measurements than weight in adolescents and young adults.
Area of Science:
- Human genetics
- Anthropometry
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Familial resemblance for anthropometric traits is influenced by genetic and environmental factors.
- Understanding how these influences change during growth is crucial for developmental studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate familial correlations for height, sitting height, and weight in siblings.
- To examine the influence of age on these correlations throughout the growth period.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of sibling data from 1278 individuals in Biscay province, aged 4-24 years.
- Standardization of data for sex and age.
- Calculation of intraclass correlation coefficients across different age categories (<12, 12-15, >=15 years).
Main Results:
- Sibling correlations for height showed a clear upward trend with age, reaching 0.48 from 15 years.
- Sitting height correlations were low before 12 years but high afterwards (0.48 and 0.47).
- Weight correlations exhibited a slight downward trend with age.
Conclusions:
- Sibling resemblance for height and sitting height varies significantly during the growth period.
- Genetic determination appears higher for bone measurements (height, sitting height) than for weight after puberty.