Current anthropometric characteristics of children and adolescents living in different areas of the nizhny novgorod region

BACKGROUND: The morphological and physical development status of children and adolescents in the Nizhny Novgorod Region may be determined by specific environmental conditions. AIM: The study aimed to identify characteristics and describe the morphological status of children and adolescents within the environmental context of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. METHODS: The study material comprised anthropometric data collected by the author from populations of children and adolescents in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, fully comparable with the unified methodological standards of the Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents. Analysis of total body dimensions was performed using operational datasets and contemporary descriptive approaches that document changes and provide an objective profile of anthropometric indicators within the regional secular trend, with consideration of environmental load characteristics and place of residence of the studied population groups. Quantitative assessment of statistical differences by sex, age, and geographic location was performed using Student’s t test, Fisher’s test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Pearson’s test, with differences considered significant at p 0.05. RESULTS: Changes in sex- and age-related characteristics of anthropometric parameters were demonstrated. Sexual dimorphism in total body dimensions was observed at ages 11–14 years, with residents of the northern territories lagging by an average of 2–3 months. Annual growth increments revealed substantial advantages for most parameters, except the body height. Variability in body height differed remarkably, manifesting in 45.5% of cases in northern areas and 72.7% in southern areas. The tempo of pubertal development was more accelerated in southern areas, whereas in northern areas the proportion of delayed maturation was 50.0% higher. CONCLUSION: The set of natural and climatic conditions in the northern and southern territories of the Nizhny Novgorod Region determines the characteristics in a heterogeneous manner. Children and adolescents living in southern territories demonstrated higher values across most parameters, whereas their northern peers showed delayed pubertal development, with boys exhibiting relative advantages in functional indicators and body height. The southern cohort showed a notably lower proportion of individuals with low body weight and a predominance of children with increased body weight and height, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in northern territories. Pubertal development was remarkably accelerated in southern territories, whereas in the extreme northern territories, delayed development among boys was 1.5 times higher and advanced development occurred twice as rarely, with comparable proportions within normal ranges. Among girls from northern regions, the proportion of delayed development showed a substantial positive correlation with age.