The mountains of giants: an anthropometric survey of male youths in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The aim of this anthropometric survey, conducted between 2015 and 2016 in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), was to map local geographical differences in male stature and some other anthropometric characteristics (sitting height, arm span). In addition, to investigate the main environmental factors influencing physical growth, the documented values of height would be compared with available nutritional and socioeconomic statistics. Anthropometric data were collected in 3192 boys aged approximately 18.3 years (17–20 years), from 97 schools in 37 towns. When corrected for population size in the examined regions, the average height of young males in BiH is 181.2 cm (181.4 cm in the Bosniak-Croat Federation, 180.9 cm in Republika Srpska). The regional variation is considerable—from 179.7 cm in the region of Doboj to 184.5 cm in the region of Trebinje. These results fill a long-term gap in the anthropological research of the Western Balkans and confirm older reports that the population of the Dinaric Alps is distinguished by extraordinary physical stature. Together with the Dutch, Montenegrins and Dalmatians, men from Herzegovina (183.4 cm) can be regarded as the tallest in the world. Because both nutritional standards and socioeconomic conditions are still deeply suboptimal, the most likely explanation of this exceptional height lies in specific genetic factors associated with the spread of Y haplogroup I-M170. The genetic potential for height in this region could then be the greatest in the world. Future studies should further elucidate the roots of this intriguing phenomenon, which touches an important aspect of human biodiversity.

Standing Height and its Estimation Utilizing Arm Spam and Foot Length Measurements in Dinaric Alps Population: A Systematic Review

“…As for Macedonia, which lies in the Carpathians to a large extent,specifi cs are also notedamong the student population that has been measured, but the signifi cantly lower body height instructs us to scale the entire population and do a regional analysis, since a multiethnic society and two mountain wreaths unambiguously demand it from us. In the end, the specifi cs obtained among the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina are, at least confusing, because diff erences in the measurement of the general population and students have been found (Grasgruber et al, 2017;Popovic et al, 2015;Gardasevic et al, 2017), while there was no diff erence between students from all three entities, which leads to similar conclusions as when the populations in Kosovo and Albania are in question.…”

“…Since it is known that the highest people live in the Dinaroids area (Grasgruber et al, 2017), and that individuals have specifi c body proportions, for example, Montenegrins as the tallest people in the world from the beginning of the 20th century, with an average height of 177 centimeters who had signifi cantly longer legs and signifi cantly shorter hands (Popović, 2017), it was logical to assume that the ratio of body height and anthropometric indicators, which are used as an alternative to assessing relative body height has a diff erent proportion. As it has already been established in a significant number of studies, the ratio of arm span and foot length measurements and body height varies from race to race and from ethnic group to ethnic group, it was clear that something would be confi rmed in Montenegro (Bjelica et al, 2012), in Serbia (Popovic et al, 2013), as well as in Kosovo .…”

Standing Height and its Estimation Utilizing Foot Length Measurements in Adolescents from Western Region in Kosovo

“…This limitation is based on the fact there are some studies which assumed the growth of an individual doesn't cease by this age (Grasgruber, P., personal communication, 2016;Jurak, G., personal communication, 2017). This assumption might be supported by the fact that university-educated individuals have been founded to be taller than the high school population in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Grasgruber et al, 2017;Gardasevic et al, 2017), Poland (Wronka & Pawlinska-Chmara, 2009) and Hungary (Szollosi, 1998). On the other hand, this wasn't the truth in Montenegro and comparing the average standing height measures of this study to the results of some study sampled by university students might give the science much precise conclusions.…”

Standing Height and its Estimation Utilizing Foot Length Measurements in Kosovan Adults: National Survey

“…This limitation is based on the fact there are some studies which assumed the growth of an individual doesn't cease by this age (Grasgruber, P., personal communication, 2016; Jurak, G., personal communication, 2017). This assumption might be supported by the fact that university-educated individuals have been founded to be taller than the high school population in Bosnia and Herzegovina [6,7], Poland [30] and Hungary [26]. On the other hand, this wasn't the truth in Montenegro [18].…”