Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin

Long-term changes somatic characteristics and age at menarche of rural Chuvash and Bashkir population in the XX century

Batsevich V.A.,Yasina O.V.

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Mokhovaya st., 11, Moscow, 125009, Russia

Batsevich Valery A., Ph.D., ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3833-1588, e-mail: batsevich53@mail.ru; Yasina O.V., e-mail: okyasina@mail.ru

Abstract

The work is devoted to investigation of temporal dynamics of several morphophysiological char-acteristics in adult rural Chuvash and Bashkir population for more than 60 years, starting from the second decade of the XX century. Determination of an initial point of secular changes beginning, their rate as well as vectors for different complexes of morphophysiological characteristics in the investigated period of time in two examined ethic groups is of key importance. The material was collected in 6 expeditions in 1994, 1998, 1999 and 2002 in rural regions of Chu-vashia and Bashkiria. In total, 1540 Chuvash and 363 Bashkir people of both genders were examined. The age range of examined populations was from 18 to 89 years old. Retrospective data on the age of men-arche in 640 Chuvash and 133 Bashkir women were obtained. Materials of skeletal sizes subjected to transformation in the processes of acceleration and a secular trend were considered (body length, trunk length, width of shoulders). The beginning of acceleration of the age of sexual maturation can be observed in Chuvash and Bashkir women in a cohort born in the first half of the 1930s. The age of menarche decreased approxi-mately by 2.6 years for 40 years and reached 14.2 years old at the end of 1970s. Additional studies showed that acceleration of sexual maturation continued in these populations in girls in 1980s and 1990s with reaching the age of menarche at the age of 13.5 in Chuvash and 13.8 in Bashkir populations. From the 1930s, the morphological sizes of interest increased in both sexes. Body length gain for the whole studied period in male and female subgroups amounted to 8-9 cm with the exception of Bashkir men (5.4 cm). In this subgroup, temporal changes of body length and the width of shoulders were slightly ex-pressed. The most intensive increase of the body length was observed in Chuvash population and Bashkir women in age cohorts born before 1950-60s. In the population born after this period of time, either stag-nation of the parameter or its decrease can be seen. The same situation is characteristic for the width of shoulders.Maximal values of the index Width of shoulders/Body length are attributed for age cohorts born at the end of 1930s and the beginning of the 1940s. In subsequent age cohorts, decrease of values of dif-ferent intensity degree more expressed in women is observed. The investigation of long-term changes of morphological characteristics and sexual maturation rates in women of Chuvash and Bashkir groups has demonstrated that the revealed transformations are characterized with a complex structure at the in-tragroup level. At continued acceleration of sexual maturation, increase of some body sizes is replaced by its decrease on the absolute value. In women, stabilization or negative growth of these characteristics starts earlier than in men. The change of growth gradients can be caused by modification of relations be-tween hormonal status dynamics and change of structural and functional characteristics at acceleration of ontogenesis rates in the period of sexual maturation. Observation of temporal dynamics of the morpho-logical status itself does not allow making a definite conclusion about cessation of acceleration processes in the population. Complex investigations using characteristics describing rates of individual development on the basis of the biological age considering its temporal changeability are needed. In the Bashkir popu-lation, expressed sexual differences in the secular dynamics of the investigated morphological characteris-tics have been revealed. Probable reasons for observed differentiation are connected not with biological characteristics of Bashkir men or women, but with social peculiarities of the examined community.

Keywords

anthropology, anthropoecology, human morphology, rural Chuvash and Bashkir people, acceleration, secular trend, age of menarche

Цит.: Batsevich V.A.,Yasina O.V. Long-term changes somatic characteristics and age at menarche of rural Chuvash and Bashkir population in the XX century // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2015; 4/2015; с. 4-13

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