Hostname: page-component-69cd664f8f-tp5d2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-13T09:11:16.025Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Some Genetic Problems in Physical Growth and Development — A Longitudinal Study on Children Aged 0-7 Years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2025

Hanna M. Chrzastek-Spruch*
Affiliation:
Pediatric Institute of Medical Academy, Lublin, Poland
*
Pediatric Institute of Medical Academy, Staszica 11, 20-081 Lublin, Poland

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Aiming at determining the influence of some genetic factors on growth and development, a longitudinal study of 180 children (90 M and 90 F) from the city of Lublin was carried out, with periodical medical examinations and anthropometric measurements from birth to 7 years of age. The parents of each child were also examined.

The correlation coefficients between parents and children show that, as regards height, the greatest similarity occurs between mothers and daughters, and a lesser one between fathers and sons. As regards weight, sons are more similar to fathers than daughters to mothers.

The relationship between the growth and development of children and the mating type of parents, parental age, and birth order, was also investigated. In negative assortative mating, the children are taller than the children of middle-height parents from positive assortative mating couples. Children (especially daughters) of tall mothers and short fathers grow taller than children of tall fathers and short mothers.

Finally, the dependence of growth on parental age and birth order was analysed and the conclusions reached were quite interesting.

Riassunto

RIASSUNTO

Allo scopo di determinare l'influenza di alcuni fattori genetici sull'accrescimento e lo sviluppo, è stato condotto uno studio longitudinale su 180 bambini (90 M e 90 F) della città di Lublino, attraverso visite mediche e misurazioni antropometriche periodiche dalla nascita ai sette anni di età. Anche i genitori di ciascun bambino sono stati esaminati.

I coefficienti di correlazione fra genitori e figli indicano che, per quanto riguarda l'altezza, la somiglianza è maggiore fra madri e figlie ed è minore fra padri e figli. Per quanto riguarda il peso, somigliano più i figli ai padri che non le figlie alle madri. Il rapporto fra accrescimento e sviluppo dei bambini ed il tipo d'incrocio parentale, l'età parentale e l'ordine di genitura, sono anch'essi stati oggetto di studio. In condizioni di incrocio casuale, i bambini sono più alti dei figli di genitori di altezza media con incrocio preferenziale. I figli, e soprattutto le figlie, di madri alte e padri bassi crescono più dei figli di padri alti e madri basse.

Résumé

RÉSUMÉ

Afin de déterminer l'influence de quelques facteurs génétiques sur la croissance et le développement, une étude longitudinale a été conduite sur 180 enfants (90 M et 90 F) de la ville de Lublin, moyennant des visites médicales et des mensurations anthropométriques périodiques de la naissance à sept ans d'âge. Les parents aussi ont été examinés.

Les coefficients de corrélation entre parents et enfants indiquent que, en ce qui concerne la taille, mères et filles se ressemblent plus que pères et fils. En ce qui concerne le poids, pères et fils se ressemblent plus que mères et filles. L'effet du type de croisement parental, de l'âge parental et du rang de naissance, a aussi été étudié. Les enfants ont une taille plus élevée en conditions de panmixie par rapport aux fils de parents de taille moyenne à croisement assortatif. Les fils, et surtout les filles de mères grandes et pères petits ont une taille plus élevée par rapport aux enfants de pères grands et mères petites.

Zusammenfassung

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Um den Einfluβ einiger Erbfaktoren auf Wachstum und Körperentwicklung festzustellen, wurden in der Stadt Lublin 180 Kinder (90 M und 90 W) einer Längsschnittuntersuchung unterzogen, die aus periodischen ärztlichen Kontrollen und anthropometrischen Messungen von der Geburt bis zu 7 Jahren bestand. Auch die Eltern eines jeden Kindes wurden untersucht.

Aus den Korrelationskoeffizienten zwischen Eltern und Kindern ergibt sich, daβ die Ähnlichkeit der Körpergröβe zwischen Müttern und Töchtern höher ist als zwischen Vätern und Söhnen, während die Ähnlichkeit im Körpergewicht hingegen zwischen Söhnen und Vätern gröβer ist als zwischen Töchtern und Müttern. Es wurde auch untersucht, ob Wachstum und Körperentwicklung in irgendeinem Verhältnis stehen zum Mischungstyp und Alter der Eltern oder zur Zeugungsfolge. Die Kinder mittelgroβer Eltern aus zufallsbedingter Mischung waren gröβer als die Kinder aus Vorzugsmischungen. Die Kinder, vor allem die Töchter, von groβen Müttern und kleinen Vätern werden gröβer als die Kinder groβer Väter und kleiner Mütter.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1977

References

REFERENCES

Charzewska, J., Wolanski, N. 1964. Wplyw wieku i wysokosci ciala rodzicow na stan rozwoju fizy-cznego ich potomstwa. Prace Mater. Nauk. Inst. Matki Dziecka, 3: 942.Google Scholar
Furusho, T. 1964. Factors affecting parent-offspring correlation of stature. Jpn. J. Hum. Genet., 9: 3545.Google ScholarPubMed
Kagan, J., Moss, H.A. 1959. Parental correlates of child's IQ and height: A cross-validation of the Berkeley Growth Study results. Child Dev., 30: 325332.Google ScholarPubMed
Livson, N., McNeill, D., Thomas, K. 1962. Pooled estimates of parent-child correlations in stature from birth to maturity. Science, 138: 810820.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ounsted, M., Ounsted, C. 1966. Maternal regulation of intrauterine growth. Nature, 212: 995997.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Penrose, L.S. 1955. Science Progress, pp. 169.Google Scholar
Penrose, L.S. (ed.) 1961. Recent Advances in Human Genetics. London: Churchill.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robson, E.B. 1955. Birth weight in cousins. Ann. Hum. Genet., 19: 262268.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Susanne, Ch. 1971. Hérédité des caractères anthropologiques mesurables. Bull. Mem. Soc. An-thropol. Paris, 7: 169224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanner, J.M., Israelsohn, W.J. 1963. Parent-child correlations for body measurements of children between the ages one month and seven years. Ann. Hum. Genet., 26: 245259.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolanski, N. 1967. “Tendencja przemian” u Homo Sapiens, jej elementy i przyczyny. Kosmos A, 4: 381401.Google Scholar
Wolanski, N. 1970. Rozwoj biologiczny czlowieka. PWN Warszawa, 438 pp.Google Scholar