Longitudinal Study of Growth of American-Japanese Children

• Project/Area Number: 07640955
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 人類学(含生理人類学)
• Research Institution: Otsuma Women's University
• Principal Investigator: ASHIZAWA Kumi Otsuma Women's Univ., Inst.Hum.Living Sciences, Professor, 人間生活科研究所, 教授 (90086554)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KUMAKURA Chiyoko Otsuma Women's Univ., Inst.Hum.Living Sciences, Assistant, 人間生活科研究所, 助手
• Project Period (FY): 1995 – 1997
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 1997)
• Budget Amount: ¥2,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000); Fiscal Year 1997: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000); Fiscal Year 1996: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000); Fiscal Year 1995: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
• Keywords: growth / American-Japanese children / individual survey / adolescent growth pattern / genetic and environmental foctors / 成長パターン

Research Abstract

Longitudinal data on stature, weight, chest circumference, and leg length of American-Japanese children, born between 1946-1965, were analyzed. Two data sets were established : one on 149 children for a mixed-logitudinal study, and the other is on 88 children for a longitudinal study. With the latter, some parameters were set on the growth velocity curve and adolescent spurt of each child and each measurement.
Comparison between Black- and White-Japanese : In girls, stature was higher in B-Jpn, but in boys W-Jpn become higher after age 18. Weight was lighter in W-Jpn in lower age groups of both sexes ; thereafter it became the inverse. Chest circumf.was smaller in W-Jpn girls until age 9, but in boys B-Jpn it was greater in all age groups. Leg length was greater in B-Jpn in both sexes, but the difference from W-Jpn diminishes or became the inverse after ages 17 or 18. All ages at the parameters, except chest circumf., appeared 2 to 3 years earlier in girls. Adolescent spurts were very strong in W-Jpn girs. The sequence of peak ages was in order of leg length, stature, weight, chest circumf., and finally menarcheal age in girls in both B- and W-Jpn children.
Comparison between Am-Jpn children and parental group children : Am-Jpn statural growth curve was close to that of Jpn children in lower age groups in both sexes ; then, the B-Jpn became close to the B-Am, and the W-Jpn to the W-Am. The B-Jpn weight curve coincided with the B-Am, whereas the W-Jpn coincide with the Japanese. For chest circumf., the Am-Jpn curve approached to the Japanese in both sexes in lower age groups, whereas the former's chest growth accelerated and overtook the latter's. Relative leg length to stature was always less in Am-Jpn children than either B- and W-Am children.
A comparison of W-Jpn to British and Swiss children was also executed.