GROWTH-STUDIES IN JENA, GERMANY - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND SECULAR CHANGES IN STATURE AND WEIGHT IN CHILDREN 7-14 YEARS

Anthropological investigations have been performed on Jena school chil dren since 1880. The report summarizes the background of the surveys a nd then considers secular changes in stature and body weight since 188 0. The stature of Jena school children shows a major increase over 105 years, ranging from 9.7% to 12.8% in girls and from 9.4% to 14.6% in boys. Changes in estimated growth rates are evident, especially in the preschool ages. Corresponding secular increases in weight between 188 0 and 1985 range from 20.7% to 50.4%. Data during and after times of w ar suggest that females appear to react to changing living conditions more quickly than boys. On the other hand, the smaller variation in th e stature of girls suggests more homogeneous and perhaps better buffer ed growth in girls. Estimated semiannual increments in stature and wei ght between 1880 and 1985 indicate an increase in the intensity of gro wth during school age in both sexes and acceleration of the pubertal g rowth spurt, especially in boys. The average decrease in weight in bot h sexes between 1932 and 1944 should be emphasized. This is the result of the poor nutritional conditions during the Second World War. Girls show a greater reduction in mean values than boys. (C) 1996 Wiley-Lis s, Inc.