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5. SECULAR VARIABILITY OF HEAD SIZES IN BELARUSIAN CHILDREN (MINSK)

SECULAR VARIABILITY OF HEAD SIZES IN BELARUSIAN CHILDREN (MINSK)

Hurbo Tatyana

Department of Anthropology and Ecology, Institute of History, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NAS), Minsk, Belarus

Hurbo Tatyana, e-mail: hurbo@mail.ru.

Abstract

The trends in variability of general head sizes (head circumference, longitudinal diameter and transverse diameter) and the shape of head (cephalic index) in 4–17-year-old children of Minsk over the last 80 years (1920–2000) are analyzed. In 1980–2000 a significant increase of all indices was revealed. Head circumference in the older age groups is bigger in the children of 1980 in comparison to those of 1920 – by 2.16–3.09 cm longer in boys, 2.42–3.14 cm in girls; longitudinal diameter – by 1.40–1.85 cm and 1.14–1.30 cm respectively; transverse diameter – by 0.82–1.35 cm and 0.69–0.83 cm respectively. At the same time the head index reduced during the period of 1920–1980: by 1.32-1.88 in boys and 0.62–1.83 in girls. A significant growth of general head sizes was completed in 1980-2000. If there were some variations in head circumference and longitudinal diameter in children of different age during these 20 years (first some reduction, then some increase), the transverse diameter reduced at all ages. The reduction of the cephalic index continued in 1980–2000 due to a more intensive reduction of the average values of the head breadth in comparison to the head length. So some changes in head shape and sizes in children of Minsk were observed during 80 years: the process of dolichocephalization (or debrachycephalization), i.e. a decrease of the head index (the ratio of the transverse diameter to the longitudinal one) was revealed. If in 1920–1980 this process took place together with the increase of head sizes, then in 1980–2000 both longitudinal and transverse diameters were reduced, the decrease of the transverse diameter being more significant.

Keywords

head sizes, dolichocephalization, Belarusian children

Цит.: Hurbo Tatyana SECULAR VARIABILITY OF HEAD SIZES IN BELARUSIAN CHILDREN (MINSK) // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2014; 3/2014; с. 54-54