B Bogin
Biographic Data
| ID | 18989 |
|---|---|
| NAME | B Bogin |
| GIVEN NAMES | B |
| FAMILY NAME | Bogin |
| SIGNATURE | BOGIN B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Loughborough University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1688-0087 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 103 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 277 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 103 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
Seasonality and Differential Growth Patterns of Body Dimensions of Children in a Rural Community of Yucatan, Mexico
BACKGROUND: Seasonality of human growth evinces the association between environmental variation, including the physical and the social-economic-political environment, and biological changes. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the seasonality of the growth of body dimensions (absolute and relative to height) of 2- to 5-year-old children and their differential increment (percentage changes) in the dry, rainy, and "nortes" seasons at…
Evolution of the Human Life Cycle, Revisited
We are honored to be among the “Invited Commentaries on Influential Papers” for the 50th Anniversary of the Human Biology Association. The AJHB Editor, Bill Leonard, wrote that “These contributions will span the broad scope of research encompassed by the field of human population biology, including theoretical advancements ... evolutionary/adaptive dimensions of human biology ... insights into human health disparities ... and methodological innov…
Inequalities in adiposity trends between 1979 and 1999 in Guatemalan children
BACKGROUND: Guatemala suffered from civil war and high levels of inequality and childhood stunting in the second half of the 20th century, but little is known about inequalities in secular trends in adiposity. OBJECTIVES: To investigate differences in childhood body mass index (BMI) and skinfold thickness trajectories from 1979 to 1999 between three groups of children: High socioeconomic position (SEP) Ladino, Low SEP Ladino, and Low SEP Indigeno…
What makes people grow? Love and hope
BackgroundHope and love are popular themes of literature and art in many human societies. The human physiology of love and hope is less well understood. This review presents evidence that the lack of love and/or hope delays growth disturbs development and maturation and even kills.Main bodyLove and hope intersect in promoting healthy human development. Love provides a sense of security and attachment, which are necessary for healthy physical, cog…
Level of oxytocin prior to rugby and handball matches: An exploratory study among groups of Polish players
The aim of the present exploratory study was to assess the changes in urinary oxytocin (OT) concentration during the period between five days before, and on the day of match, among rugby and handball players. Nine male rugby players with a mean age of 27.62 years (SD = 4.21) and 18 male handball players with a mean age of 17.03 years (SD = 0.57) participated. Urinary oxytocin level was measured by ELISA immunoassay as a ratio to the concentration…
Use of joinpoint regressions to evaluate changes over time in conscript height
OBJECTIVES: Cohort variation in adult height expresses both the impact of socio-economic change on human biology in a wide temporal perspective and social inequalities within populations. We aimed to test the use of joinpoint regressions to identify periods in which changes in height trends were statistically significant. METHODS: Data correspond to the height recorded in Madrid City (Spain) for 65 313 conscripts between 1936 and 1974 (cohorts fr…
Bergmann's rule is a "just-so" story of human body size
Carl Bergmann was an astute naturalist and physiologist. His ideas about animal size and shape were important advances in the pre-Darwinian nineteenth century. Bergmann's rule claims that that in cold climates, large body mass increases the ratio of volume-to-surface area and provides for maximum metabolic heat retention in mammals and birds. Conversely, in warmer temperatures, smaller body mass increases surface area relative to volume and allow…
The timing of adrenarche in Maya girls, Merida, Mexico
BACKGROUND: Adrenarche involves maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and increased production of dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate ester, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S). It occurs at ages 6 to 8 in industrialized populations, marking the transition from childhood to juvenility and cognitive development at middle childhood. Studies in subsistence level populations indicate a later age (8-9) for adrenarche, but only t…
Fear, violence, inequality, and stunting in Guatemala
BACKGROUND: Stunting is defined by the public health community as a length- or height-for-age <-2 SD of a growth standard or reference and is claimed to be caused by poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Stunting is common at all income levels in middle- and low-income countries. At the higher income levels, stunting is unlikely to be caused by nutrient deficiency or infectious disease.…
Catch-up growth is a better indicator of undernutrition than thresholds for stunting
Objective: Stunting (height-for-age sd ) is one of the forms of undernutrition and is frequent among children of low- and middle-income countries. But stunting per s e is not a synonym of undernutrition. We investigated association between body height and indicators of energetic undernutrition at three critical thresholds for thinness used in public health: (1) BMI SDS Design: Cross-sectional study; breakpoint analysis. Setting: Rural and urban r…
Maternal Grandmothers' Household Residency, Children's Growth, and Body Composition Are Not Related in Urban Maya Families from Yucatan
Globalization and Children’s Diets: The Case of Yucatan, Mexico
Covid ‐19, crisis, and emotional stress: A biocultural perspective of their impact on growth and development for the next generation
2020. «Paintings for Wuhan», Li Zhong (China) © Li Zhong through Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. Li Zhong is president of the Artist Association of Fengxian District, Shanghai (China). An interview with Li Zhong and a series of paintings on the fight in China against the COVID-19 pandemic area is available in Painting and epidemic. This is a Commentary on the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic on future human growth and develo…
Birth weight, birth order, and age at first solid food introduction influence child growth and body composition in 6‐ to 8‐year‐old Maya children: The importance of the first 1000 days of life
OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relationship of birth weight, birth order, breastfeeding duration, and age of introduction of solid foods with height, fat mass, and fat-free mass in a sample of Maya children when aged 6 to 8 years old. METHODS: We collected data on anthropometry, body composition, children's birth weight, birth order, early feeding practices, and household socioeconomic characteristics in a sample of 260 Maya children aged 6 to 8 year…
The regulation of human growth includes an understanding of competitive growth strategies and community effects on height
The authors declare no conflicts of interest
Plasticity in the growth of body segments in relation to height‐for‐age and maternal education in Guatemala
OBJECTIVES: Plasticity in the growth of body segments between populations has been researched in relation to migration, temporal change and high-altitude studies. We study the within population variation in body segments, thus controlling for some of the environmental and genetic differences that could be at play in between populations studies. We test a version of the thrifty phenotype hypothesis, where the growth of head-trunk and hand are prio…
Four decades of socio-economic inequality and secular change in the physical growth of Guatemalans
Objective: To investigate changes in socio-economic inequalities in growth in height, weight, BMI and grip strength in children born during 1955–1993 in Guatemala, a period of marked socio-economic-political change. Design: We modelled longitudinal data on height, weight, BMI and hand grip strength using Super-Imposition by Translation and Rotation (SITAR). Internal Z -scores summarising growth size, timing and intensity (peak growth velocity, e.…
Plasticity of human growth – a systematic review on psychosocial factors influencing growth
Based on the results of the reviewed studies it could be concluded that the regulation of linear growth is also subject to different psychosocial factors. The way in which the developing human and the specific social environment interact seemed to have a major impact on linear growth. Status-specific stress was discussed as one possible explanation for the regulating mechanism of human linear growth.
Low birthweight prevalence among Spanish women during the economic crisis: Differences by parity
Previous studies have demonstrated a negative, significant impact on birthweight associated with the current economic crisis in Spain, which has also been reported for other European countries. Effects by parity are not known. Our aim is to compare the trends in low birthweight (LBW) by parity in Spain from 1996 to 2016. Using the National Vital Statistics data, joinpoint regression analysis was used to identify the time periods of significant ch…
Association of anthropometric indices of nutritional status with growth in height among Limboo children of Sikkim, India
The findings of the present study suggest nutrition is not the primary regulator of human growth. The possible influence of community effects on height is discussed
Life course associations of height, weight, fatness, grip strength, and all‐cause mortality for high socioeconomic status Guatemalans
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between physical growth in preadult life with five outcomes at ages 64 to 76: weight, body mass index (BMI), estimated body fat percentage, hand grip strength, and mortality. METHODS: Super-imposition by translation and rotation (SITAR) growth curves of 40 484 Guatemalan individuals aged 3 to 19 years were modeled for the parameters of size, timing and intensity (peak grow…
Caesarean birth and adiposity parameters in 6‐ to 8‐year‐old urban Maya children from two cities of Yucatan, Mexico
Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between birth mode and fat mass index (FMI = fat mass [kg]/height [m] 2 ), and z‐score values of waist circumference (WCZ) and sum of triceps and subscapular skinfolds (SumSkfZ) in a sample of 256 6‐ to 8‐year‐old urban Maya children from the cities of Merida and Motul in Yucatan, Mexico. Methods From September 2011 to January 2014, we measured height, weight, waist circumference…
Frontiers of human biology—Bridging scientific and political boundaries
The international conference “Frontiers of Human Biology” was held\nnear Seferihisar, Turkey from September 15 to 18, 2018. The organizers were Prof. Elena Godina, Lomonosov Moscow State University,\nRussian Federation and Prof. Barry Bogin, Loughborough University,\nUnited Kingdom. Mr. Oktay Kaynak, an independent researcher, was\nin charge of local arrangements. Twenty participants were included:\nseven from Russia, eight from Turkey, three fro…
Disparities in Height and Urban Social Stratification in the First Half of the 20th Century in Madrid (Spain)
Adult height is the most commonly used biological indicator to evaluate material and emotional conditions in which people grew up, allowing the analysis of secular trends associated with socio-economic change as well as of social inequalities among human populations. There is a lack of studies on both aspects regarding urban populations. Our study evaluates the secular trends and the disparities in height of conscripts born between 1915 and 1953 …
Student work on trends in infant and child growth - an editorial
Evolutionary Perspective on Human Growth
To better understand both the shared and special features of human growth, this article explores the evolution of growth patterns of mammals in general and primates in particular. Special attention is paid to several competing hypotheses concerning the adaptive value of the juvenile stage to the life history of the social mammals. One hypothesis claims that all social mammals have a juvenile stage of life, but although most primate species are so…
Eight thousand years of economic and political history in Latin America revealed by anthropometry
Human growth in height may be used as a cumulative record of the nutritional and health history of a person or a population, and often reflects the economic, social and political environment in which those people live. This paper explores the relationship between growth in height and the economic, social and political environment in Latin American populations. Adult height is analysed over an 8250 year period. It is shown that economic, social an…
Human Biology: An Evolutionary and Biocultural Perspective
This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Evolutionary Perspective Biocultural Perspective Related Disciplines Chapter Summary References Cited
Longitudinal analysis of adolescent growth of ladino and Mayan school children in Guatemala: Effects of environment and sex
The rate of growth in height and the timing of adolescent growth events are analyzed for two samples of Guatemalan children. One sample includes Mayan school children, 33 boys and 12 girls between the ages of 5.00 to 17.99 years, living under poor conditions for growth and development. The second sample includes ladino children, 78 boys and 85 girls of the same age range, living under favorable conditions for growth. The Preece‐Baines model I fun…
Seasonal pattern in the rate of growth in height of children living in Guatemala
Monthly increments of height for a sample of 164 Guatemala City school children are analyzed for the presence of a seasonal pattern in rates of growth. It is found that pre and post adolescent children follow a seasonal pattern of growth but adolescent children do not. It is suggested that the results are due to an effect of seasonal changes in ultraviolet light availability and the synthesis of vitamin D 3 as mediated by the level of maturation …
Socioeconomic status, sex, age, and ethnicity as determinants of body fat distribution for Guatemalan children
The distribution of subcutaneous fat at the triceps and subscapular skinfold sites is described for four groups of children living in Guatemala. These groups are (1) high socioeconomic status (SES) children of Ladino (mixed Spanish and Indian) ancestry, (2) high SES children of European ancestry, (3) low SES Ladino children, and (4) very low SES Indian children. The method of Healy and Tanner (1981) is used, employing regression and principal com…
Monthly changes in the gain and loss of growth in weight of children living in Guatemala
Monthly increments of weight growth for a sample of 246 Guatemala City private school children are analyzed for the presence of a seasonal pattern in rates of growth. Neither a seasonal pattern nor any other periodic rhythm is found. It is observed that a significantly greater number of children aged 5.0 to 6.9 years experience their minimum annual growth rate during the dry season, with up to 60% of them losing or not gaining weight in any one m…
Human life course biology: A centennial perspective of scholarship on the human pattern of physical growth and its place in human biocultural evolution
hypotheses of how the human pattern of growth evolved. Four historical events and premises structure our current approach to understanding growth in the context of human life history
The postcranial skeletal maturation of A ustralopithecus sediba
We conclude that the skeletal remains of MH1 are consistent with an ape-like pattern of maturity when dental age estimates are also taken into consideration. This maturity schedule in australopiths is consistent with ape-like estimates of age at death for the Nariokotome Homo erectus remains (KMN-WT 15000), which are of similar postcranial immaturity to MH1. The findings suggest that humans may have distinctive and delayed post-cranial schedules …
Ethnic and secular influences on the size and maturity of seven year old children living in Guatemala City
Three groups of children, those of European parentage, those of Guatemalan parentage, and those of mixed European‐Guatemalan parentage were measured for height, weight, and skeletal maturity. The children were born between 1945 and 1965, they were all of high socioeconomic status, and they all attended the same private school in Guatemala City. At 7 years, the boys of the European group were significantly taller than boys of the Guatemalan group.…
Body composition and nutritional status of urban Guatemalan children of high and low socioeconomic class
The effects of socioeconomic differences on the nutritional status of two groups of urban living children are considered via an anthropometric assessment of body composition. The sample consists of 981 Guatemala City children, 7.00 to 13.99 years old, of high and low socioeconomic status (SES). High SES children have larger median values for triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, arm circumference, and estimated mid‐arm muscle and fat areas than…
Biosocial effects of urban migration on the development of families and children in Guatemala
The relationship between rural to urban migration and child growth and family structure is reported in sample of 302 children from families of low socioeconomic status, living in Guatemala City. The sample was divided into three groups: 1) children of parents born outside the city, 2) children of parents born in the city, and 3) children with one migrant and one city-born parent. Children of migrants to the city were the smallest and significantl…
As tall as my peers - similarity in body height between migrants and hosts
Background: We define migrants as people who move from their place of birth to a new place of residence. Migration usually is directed by "Push-Pull" factors, for example to escape from poor living conditions or to find more prosperous socio-economic conditions. Migrant children tend to assimilate quickly, and soon perceive themselves as peers within their new social networks. Differences exist between growth of first generation and second genera…
Does Immigration Help or Harm Children’s Health? The Mayan Case
Objective . We explore how the health, as measured by physical growth, of children in Guatemalan Maya families is impacted by immigration to the United States. Methods . We analyze anthropometric data on Maya children in Guatemala and in the United States. In addition, we use survey data from the Maya–American children and their parents about lifestyle and SES to examine the factors associated with overweight and obesity. Results . The Maya–Ameri…
Growth status, age, and grade as predictors of school continuation for Guatemalan Indian children
Schooling is considered by many researchers and agencies as an important contributor to individual and national development for populations living in the less developed countries. Accordingly, programs to increase school enrollment and continuation from grade to grade are being developed for many of these countries. This paper investigates the relationship of physical growth status (height, weight, and body composition), grade in school, and age …
Maternal short stature does not predict their children's fatness indicators in a nutritional dual‐burden sample of urban Mexican Maya
The co‐existence of very short stature due to poor chronic environment in early life and obesity is becoming a public health concern in rapidly transitioning populations with high levels of poverty. Individuals who have very short stature seem to be at an increased risk of obesity in times of relative caloric abundance. Increasing evidence shows that an individual is influenced by exposures in previous generations. This study assesses whether mat…
Low birth weight does not predict the ontogeny of relative leg length of infants and children: An allometric analysis of the NHANES III sample
Previous research links both low birth weight (LBW) and relative leg length (RLL) to a similar set of adult pathologies, including type II diabetes, coronary vascular disease, and some cancers. Historically, LBW has been frequently used as a broad indicator of the quality of the intrauterine environment, while RLL has been considered a sensitive measure of childhood environmental quality. While these observations have been taken to suggest that t…
Food, home and health: The meanings of food amongst Bengali Women in London
BACKGROUND: This paper explores the nature of food and plants and their meanings in a British Bengali urban context. It focuses on the nature of plants and food in terms of their role in home making, transnational connections, generational change and concepts of health. METHODS: An ethnographic approach to the research was taken, specific methods included participant observation, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. Thirty wome…
Bergmann's rule is a "just-so" story of human body size
Carl Bergmann was an astute naturalist and physiologist. His ideas about animal size and shape were important advances in the pre-Darwinian nineteenth century. Bergmann's rule claims that that in cold climates, large body mass increases the ratio of volume-to-surface area and provides for maximum metabolic heat retention in mammals and birds. Conversely, in warmer temperatures, smaller body mass increases surface area relative to volume and allow…
Climate Change and Human Behavior On The Southwest Coast of Ecuador
Predictable and reliable agricultural production, industrial output, and, in general, environments that promote human well‐being depend on climatic stability. But the prehistoric and historic record indicate that climate change is a recurring feature of the environment. In this paper the climate history of the southwest coast of Ecuador is presented and discussed in relation to its influence on prehistoric and contemporary human populations livin…
What makes people grow? Love and hope
BackgroundHope and love are popular themes of literature and art in many human societies. The human physiology of love and hope is less well understood. This review presents evidence that the lack of love and/or hope delays growth disturbs development and maturation and even kills.Main bodyLove and hope intersect in promoting healthy human development. Love provides a sense of security and attachment, which are necessary for healthy physical, cog…
Pregnant Women's and Community Health Workers' Perceptions of Root Causes of Malnutrition Among Infants and Young Children in the Slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Research in Bangladesh shows that malnutrition among infants and young children is most severe in urban slums. We examined the root causes of malnutrition as perceived by pregnant women and community health workers. We conducted 10 focus group discussions in the slums of Dhaka in 2008 and 2009. Participants accurately perceived inappropriate care, inappropriate environment, inappropriate food, and flooding to be major causes. Recurrent flooding h…
Kung nutritional status and the original "affluent society" - a new analysis
The theme of the 2011 meetings of the German Anthropological Society, "Biological and Cultural Markers of Environmental Pressure", provides the entree to revisit one of Anthropology's most enduring canons - hunters and gathers are well-nourished and healthy. The Dobe !Kung foragers of the Kalahari Desert often serve as a model of hunter-gatherer adaptation for both extant and Paleolithic humans. A re-analysis of food intake, energy expenditure, a…
Seasonal pattern in the rate of growth in height of children living in Guatemala
Monthly increments of height for a sample of 164 Guatemala City school children are analyzed for the presence of a seasonal pattern in rates of growth. It is found that pre and post adolescent children follow a seasonal pattern of growth but adolescent children do not. It is suggested that the results are due to an effect of seasonal changes in ultraviolet light availability and the synthesis of vitamin D 3 as mediated by the level of maturation …
Monthly changes in the gain and loss of growth in weight of children living in Guatemala
Monthly increments of weight growth for a sample of 246 Guatemala City private school children are analyzed for the presence of a seasonal pattern in rates of growth. Neither a seasonal pattern nor any other periodic rhythm is found. It is observed that a significantly greater number of children aged 5.0 to 6.9 years experience their minimum annual growth rate during the dry season, with up to 60% of them losing or not gaining weight in any one m…
Biosocial effects of urban migration on the development of families and children in Guatemala
The relationship between rural to urban migration and child growth and family structure is reported in sample of 302 children from families of low socioeconomic status, living in Guatemala City. The sample was divided into three groups: 1) children of parents born outside the city, 2) children of parents born in the city, and 3) children with one migrant and one city-born parent. Children of migrants to the city were the smallest and significantl…
Body composition and nutritional status of urban Guatemalan children of high and low socioeconomic class
The effects of socioeconomic differences on the nutritional status of two groups of urban living children are considered via an anthropometric assessment of body composition. The sample consists of 981 Guatemala City children, 7.00 to 13.99 years old, of high and low socioeconomic status (SES). High SES children have larger median values for triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, arm circumference, and estimated mid‐arm muscle and fat areas than…
Ethnic and secular influences on the size and maturity of seven year old children living in Guatemala City
Three groups of children, those of European parentage, those of Guatemalan parentage, and those of mixed European‐Guatemalan parentage were measured for height, weight, and skeletal maturity. The children were born between 1945 and 1965, they were all of high socioeconomic status, and they all attended the same private school in Guatemala City. At 7 years, the boys of the European group were significantly taller than boys of the Guatemalan group.…
Climate Change and Human Behavior On The Southwest Coast of Ecuador
Predictable and reliable agricultural production, industrial output, and, in general, environments that promote human well‐being depend on climatic stability. But the prehistoric and historic record indicate that climate change is a recurring feature of the environment. In this paper the climate history of the southwest coast of Ecuador is presented and discussed in relation to its influence on prehistoric and contemporary human populations livin…
Socioeconomic status, sex, age, and ethnicity as determinants of body fat distribution for Guatemalan children
The distribution of subcutaneous fat at the triceps and subscapular skinfold sites is described for four groups of children living in Guatemala. These groups are (1) high socioeconomic status (SES) children of Ladino (mixed Spanish and Indian) ancestry, (2) high SES children of European ancestry, (3) low SES Ladino children, and (4) very low SES Indian children. The method of Healy and Tanner (1981) is used, employing regression and principal com…
Auxology and anthropology
Borms, J., R. Hauspie, A. Sand, C. Susanne, and M. Hebbelinck, eds. Human Growth and Development. New York: Plenum Press, 1984. xvi + 836 pp. including list of contributors, references, index. $125.00 cloth
Growth status, age, and grade as predictors of school continuation for Guatemalan Indian children
Schooling is considered by many researchers and agencies as an important contributor to individual and national development for populations living in the less developed countries. Accordingly, programs to increase school enrollment and continuation from grade to grade are being developed for many of these countries. This paper investigates the relationship of physical growth status (height, weight, and body composition), grade in school, and age …
Longitudinal growth in height, weight, and bone age of Guatemalan Ladino and Indian schoolchildren
Three longitudinal samples of Guatemalan schoolchildren are compared for amounts and rates of growth in height, weight, and bone age. The samples include children of two ethnic backgrounds: Ladinos, Spanish‐speaking people of, generally, Western cultural orientation; and Indians, people of Mayan cultural descent. The Indians are of very low socioeconomic status (SES) and attend a public school in a rural village. The Ladinos come from two SES gro…
Patterns of Human Growth
Capacity for Work in the Tropics . K. J. Collinsand D. F. Roberts
Longitudinal growth of high socioeconomic status Guatemalan children analyzed by the Preece‐Baines function: An international comparison
The Preece‐Baines model I function, adapted for use with a personal computer, is applied to the longitudinal growth records of Guatemalan children and adolescents of high socioeconomic status. The fit of the Preece‐Baines function to the Guatemalan data is compared with those of published analyses of the function fitted to the growth of British, Belgian, urban and rural Indian, Australian Aborigine, and African children. Guatemalan, British, and …
Measurement of growth variability and environmental quality in Guatemalan children
The measurement of within-population growth variability may be a sensitive indicator of environmental quality. Specifically, it is hypothesized that within-population variability will increase in adverse environments. To evaluate this hypothesis the variability in stature growth of three samples of Guatemala school children (5-10 years old) is assessed. These samples include high socioeconomic status (SES) ladinos (84 boys and 98 girls) and low S…
Biological Anthropology: Diet and Disease in Traditional and Developing Societies . G. A. Harrison and J. C. Waterlow , eds
Longitudinal analysis of adolescent growth of ladino and Mayan school children in Guatemala: Effects of environment and sex
The rate of growth in height and the timing of adolescent growth events are analyzed for two samples of Guatemalan children. One sample includes Mayan school children, 33 boys and 12 girls between the ages of 5.00 to 17.99 years, living under poor conditions for growth and development. The second sample includes ladino children, 78 boys and 85 girls of the same age range, living under favorable conditions for growth. The Preece‐Baines model I fun…
Human Growth: A Practitioner’s Guide
A continuing problem for anthropologists is how to respond to the well-intentioned, nevertheless naive, question, "... and what do you do for a living?" My usual response these days is, "I pinch children." This rejoinder rivets the questioner in place while I explain that I measure the height, weight, and body composition (this is where the "pinching" of skinfolds comes into play) of school children and youth in Guatemala and in the United States…
Evolution of the human life cycle
Social mammals have three basic stages of postnatal development: infant, juvenile, and adult. Some species also have a brief female post-reproductive stage. The human life cycle, however, is best described by five stages: infant, child, juvenile, adolescent, and adult. Women in both traditional and industrial societies may also have a long post-reproductive stage. Analyses of bones and teeth of early hominids who died as subadults suggest that th…
Evolution of the human life cycle
Social mammals have three basic stages of postnatal development: infant, juvenile, and adult. Some species also have a brief female post-reproductive stage. The human life cycle, however, is best described by five stages: infant, child, juvenile, adolescent, and adult. Women in both traditional and industrial societies may also have a long post-reproductive stage. Analyses of bones and teeth of early hominids who died as subadults suggest that th…
Plasticity, political economy, and physical growth status of Guatemala Maya children living in the United States
Migration of Maya refugees to the United States since the late 1970s affords the opportunity to study the consequences of life in a new environment on the growth of Maya children. The children of this study live in Indiantown, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. Maya children between 4 and 14 years old (n = 240) were measured for height, weight, fatness, and muscularity. Overall, compared with reference data for the United States, the Maya chil…
Evolutionary hypotheses for human childhood
The origins of human childhood have fascinated scholars from many disciplines. Some researchers argue that childhood, and many other human characteristics, evolved by heterochrony, an evolutionary process that alters the timing of growth stages from ancestors to their descendants. Other scholars argue against heterochrony, but so far have not offered a well-developed alternative hypothesis. This essay presents such an alternative. Childhood is de…
Growth in height and weight of South African urban infants from birth to five years: The Birth to Ten Study
The Birth To Ten (BTT) birth cohort study was designed to investigate the health and growth of children living in the Soweto-Johannesburg Metropole, South Africa. During 1990-1991, 4034 singleton births, from a total birth population of 5449 that occurred between 23 April and 8 June, 1990, were enrolled into the study. Anthropometric, socioeconomic, health, nutritional, and demographic data were collected at birth and at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 60 …
Milk and Human Development: An Essay on the "Milk Hypothesis"
The "milk hypothesis" predicts that a greater consumption of milk during infancy and childhood will result greater stature in adult life. Evidence is reviewed to evaluate this hypothesis. Data from post-World War II Japan, several pastoralist cultures around the world, nutrition supplementation programs, and experimental studies are, generally, consistent in support of the hypothesis. The nutrients contained in milk, especially calcium, vitamin D…
Eight thousand years of economic and political history in Latin America revealed by anthropometry
Human growth in height may be used as a cumulative record of the nutritional and health history of a person or a population, and often reflects the economic, social and political environment in which those people live. This paper explores the relationship between growth in height and the economic, social and political environment in Latin American populations. Adult height is analysed over an 8250 year period. It is shown that economic, social an…
Evolutionary Perspective on Human Growth
To better understand both the shared and special features of human growth, this article explores the evolution of growth patterns of mammals in general and primates in particular. Special attention is paid to several competing hypotheses concerning the adaptive value of the juvenile stage to the life history of the social mammals. One hypothesis claims that all social mammals have a juvenile stage of life, but although most primate species are so…
Demography (61 works) · Medicine (56 works) · Sociology (51 works) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (42 works) · Biology (36 works) · Birth, Development, and Health (34 works) · Geography (34 works) · Population (30 works) · Psychology (27 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (25 works)