Secular changes in body height and weight of Portuguese boys over one century

Abstract

This study examines secular changes in attained height and weight in student boys from a military boarding school (Colégio Militar) in Lisbon, Portugal. Data for 1899-1906, 1929-1936, 1961-1966, and 1999-2006 obtained from the archives and medical files of the Colégio Militar were used in this study. In a century Portuguese boys increased in height by 10.5 cm at age 10 to 19.1 cm at age 14, at a mean increase of 1.54 cm per decade. The gain in weight was between 8.7 and 18.9 kg for 10- and 14-year-old boys, respectively, at a mean increase of 1.54 kg per decade. In the same period, age at peak height and weight velocity advanced sim2 years, showing an acceleration of developmental tempo. However, most of the real gain in height and weight and the decrease in pubertal age occurred after 1961-1966. This mirrors major improvements in social and economic conditions that initiated in Portugal in the 1960s, and then by political events in the 1970s that promoted further progress. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.