OBJECTIVE: Over the last century, a progressive rise in stature, known as the 'secular trend', was documented worldwide, and especially in Sardinia, it has reached a peak in Europe. However, this situation recently ceased in several populations. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the stature secular trend has significantly leveled off in the Sardinian younger generations. METHODS: Height measurements were retrieved from a database of patients undergoing digestive endoscopy, spanning generations between 1920 and 1990. Sex-specific principal component regression models were fitted to decompose stature variation into the contribution of age, period, and birth cohort. RESULTS: A steady increase in stature was observed in generations born after 1920, with an upward surge in those born after 1950. However, a significant leveling off was observed among cohorts born after 1970 among both sexes, as mean heights stabilized at 171.1 cm with a standard error (SE) of 0.9 cm among men and a mean of 160.1 cm (SE = 0.9 cm) among women. CONCLUSION: Our findings support a significant slowdown in the secular trend of stature among the latest Sardinian generations. Several factors, including the consumption of low-quality food, lack of physical activity, and late motherhood, among others, may explain the decline in the secular trend.

The Rise and Fall of the Secular Trend in Body Height in Sardinia: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis / Pes, Giovanni Mario; Salis, Roberta; Errigo, Alessandra; Saturno, Marco; Bibbo', Stefano; Quarta Colosso, Bianca Maria; Longo, Nunzio Pio; Dore, Maria Pina. - In: BIOMEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES. - ISSN 0895-3988. - 33:3(2020), pp. 183-190. [10.3967/bes2020.025]

The Rise and Fall of the Secular Trend in Body Height in Sardinia: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

Pes, Giovanni Mario
Methodology
;
Errigo, Alessandra
Data Curation
;
Bibbo', Stefano
Data Curation
;
Quarta Colosso, Bianca Maria;Dore, Maria Pina
Project Administration
2020-01-01

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Over the last century, a progressive rise in stature, known as the 'secular trend', was documented worldwide, and especially in Sardinia, it has reached a peak in Europe. However, this situation recently ceased in several populations. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the stature secular trend has significantly leveled off in the Sardinian younger generations. METHODS: Height measurements were retrieved from a database of patients undergoing digestive endoscopy, spanning generations between 1920 and 1990. Sex-specific principal component regression models were fitted to decompose stature variation into the contribution of age, period, and birth cohort. RESULTS: A steady increase in stature was observed in generations born after 1920, with an upward surge in those born after 1950. However, a significant leveling off was observed among cohorts born after 1970 among both sexes, as mean heights stabilized at 171.1 cm with a standard error (SE) of 0.9 cm among men and a mean of 160.1 cm (SE = 0.9 cm) among women. CONCLUSION: Our findings support a significant slowdown in the secular trend of stature among the latest Sardinian generations. Several factors, including the consumption of low-quality food, lack of physical activity, and late motherhood, among others, may explain the decline in the secular trend.
2020
The Rise and Fall of the Secular Trend in Body Height in Sardinia: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis / Pes, Giovanni Mario; Salis, Roberta; Errigo, Alessandra; Saturno, Marco; Bibbo', Stefano; Quarta Colosso, Bianca Maria; Longo, Nunzio Pio; Dore, Maria Pina. - In: BIOMEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES. - ISSN 0895-3988. - 33:3(2020), pp. 183-190. [10.3967/bes2020.025]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11388/232337
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