Somatic comparisons of urban and rural Russian boys, ages 6, 9, and 15 years, living in St. Petersburg and surrounding areas

Abstract

Somatic data were collected during September 1991 on 280 males, ages 6, 9, and 15 years, residing in urban St. Petersburg, Russia, and in rural regions surrounding the city. Comparisons are made between urban and rural groups for measures of body size and form, skinfold thicknesses, body mass index (BMI), and estimated arm muscle area (ARM). The data were analyzed in 2 (urban-rural) × 3 (age) analyses of variance, with an alpha level of P < 0.05. Age differences were evident for all measurements. A significant main effect for urban-rural was found for stature, lower limb height, and calf girth; differences approached significance (P < 0.07) for body weight and sitting height. Urban children were larger than rural children in stature, sitting height, lower limb height, calf girth, and body weight. The interaction was nonsignificant. Urban and rural boys did not differ on measures of body form. Similar means were obtained for the sum of skinfolds, the BMI, and ARM in urban and rural boys. Compared with data collected more than a century ago, present-day 15-year-olds are 22 cm taller. It has often been suggested that living in an urban environment provides greater access to the amenities of life than living in a rural area. Although these amenities are difficult to observe differences do exist and the secular trend continues. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Urban and rural differences in mortality and causes of death in historical Poland

“…These diseases were less common in rural areas, so they had the most favorable values of mortality measures It is well-documented that social stratification, measured either by socioeconomic status of individual families or by residence in a population center of a particular size, is reflected in the physical growth and development of people, their health status, and some demographic variables. In particular, in many countries at present, slower rates of growth and maturation, and shorter stature, are observed among people living in rural villages rather than in urban centers (Bielicki et al, 1981(Bielicki et al, , 1988Bogin, 1988;Cameron et al, 1992Cameron et al, , 1993 Henneberg and La Velle, 1999;Hulanicka et al, 1990;Jedliń ska, 1985; Komlos and Kriwy, 2002;Pasquet et al, 1999;Peñ a et al, 2003;Spurgeon et al, 1994;Susanne, 1984;Tanner and Eveleth, 1976;Weber et al, 1995). These differences in growth and physical status are in general greater in poorer countries, while in countries having the highest standard of living they tend to disappear (e.g., Australia, Bogin, 1988;Susanne, 1984;Tanner and Eveleth, 1976).…”

Dietary nutrient intake comparisons for rural and urban Russian boys, ages 6, 9, and 15 years, living in St. Petersburg and surrounding areas

“…Therefore, data in Table 5 may actually underestimate the number of children receiving less than recommended amounts of energy. Using body weight data shown in Table 6, which were gathered on these subjects a t the same time as the dietary data (Spurgeon et al, 1994), rural subjects at age 6 years appeared to be at a n advantage in energy consumption compared to urban boys, but at ages 9 and 15, urban boys had greater intakes of energy per kilogram of body weight. Fedorova (1989) found that boys ages 16-17 years who were attending a rural trade school in the town of Volsk in the middle Volga area had energy intakes of 2,900-3,000 kcal per day, which compares fairly closely to the 2,858 and 3,261 kcal intakes of 15-year-old rural and urban St, Petersburg boys.…”

Patterns of Growth and Development in Urban and Rural Children of the Northern Part of European Russia

“…Анализ данных обследования детей Санкт-Петербурга и их сверстников из Ленинградской обл., проведенного в 1990-х гг. группой американских и российских ученых, выявил существенные различия в морфологических показателях, общей калорийности пищи, потреблении витаминов и микроэлементов, которые оказались достоверно выше у горожан [Spurgeon et al, 1994;Steele et al, 1994]. В последние годы специфика процессов физического развития детей города и села изучалась рядом исследователей в разных регионах России [Кабанов, 2005; Медведев и др., 2011; Османов Р.О., Омариева, Османов О.Р., 2013; Егорова и др., 2014; Филатова, 2014; Цыбульская и др., 2014], в т.ч.…”