Negasheva Marina Anatol'evna

Introduction. Against the background of the secular trend, which many authors note all over the world, researchers are faced with a methodological problem consisting in the choice of a constitutional scheme for assessing the type of physique. Until the early 2000s, V.P. Chtetsov's somatotypological scheme was widely used in our country, which has now lost its relevance due to the processes of secular trend. The aim of this study is to update the assessment tables in V.P. Chtetsov's constitutional scheme and to actualise the application of this scheme for the assessment of somatotypes in modern youth (aged 17–19 years).

Materials and methods. The study is based on the materials obtained during the annual anthropometric monitoring of Moscow student youth in 2000-2023 (number of samples: 3026 women and 3452 men; measurement of more than 20 physique indices).

Results. The updated normative tables for V.P. Chtetsov's constitutional scheme, calculated on the basis of anthropometric survey materials of more than 6400 people, are presented. Not only mean values and values of standard deviations have been updated in accordance with modern data, but also the general appearance of the tables (the boundaries of intervals for conversion of measuring features into points are presented) for easy reading of information.

Discussion. When comparing the initial evaluation tables of V.P. Chtetsov's scheme with the updated ones, the main tendencies of the secular trend are observed: the modern youth clearly show a significant increase in longitudinal skeletal dimensions and a slight decrease in transverse skeletal dimensions, as well as a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in the fat component of the physique in comparison with the surveyed sample of the early 70s of the last century. A comparative analysis of the distribution of different variants of somatotypes of girls and boys, determined according to the original tables of V.P. Chtetsov's scheme and according to the updated tables of the same scheme, has been carried out. The distribution based on the updated normative tables objectively reflects the variability of body features and the distribution of somatotypes in modern youth.

Conclusion. The obtained results are of practical importance, as new estimation tables for determining somatotypes (in this study for men and women aged 17–19) according to the constitutional scheme of V.P. Chtetsov, taking into account secular changes in body size in the modern population, are introduced into academic turnover. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The article presents the preliminary results of the anthropological expedition to Barnaul, Altai Krai (Siberian Federal District), conducted in September 2023 in order to study long-term (over the past 70 years) changes in body sizes among modern youth in this region. One of the main practical tasks of the study was the development of relevant standards (reference tables) for assessing the level of physical development of students in Altai Krai.

Materials and methods. The study group consisted of 295 young men and women aged 17–23, mainly (more than 92%) Russians by nationality. Subjects were examined according to a comprehensive anthropometric program including measurement of total body sizes, shoulder and pelvic breadths, trunk and limb circumferences, five skinfolds, and grip strength on right hand.

Results. The average height of young males born in Barnaul increased by 10,5 cm across birth cohorts from the 1930s to the 2000-2006s. The rate of secular increase in height is about 1,5 cm per decade. Intergroup comparisons of body height in female samples from Barnaul demonstrated an increase in height in modern women by 5 cm compared with the cohorts born in the 1940s (about 0,8 cm per decade). Long-term changes in anthropometric parameters in Barnaul are comparable with the general secular trend in Russia and consistent with the hypothesis of the dominant influence of socio-economic factors on intergenerational transformation of the physique of children, adolescents, and young adults.

Conclusion. Growth standards (reference tables) have been developed based on the results of the regression analysis between weight and height, to assess the indicators of physical development of students in Altai Krai. The reference tables provide the definition of groups with different levels of physical development: normal physical development, deviation of physical development due to a body weight deficit of the 1st and 2nd degree or due to an excess of body weight of the 1st and 2nd degree, stunting (low height). © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

The article discusses the main directions, achievements and future prospects for the development of Human morphology at Lomonosov Moscow State University at the beginning of the third millennium. The development of a morphological typology of physique for children and adults by V.E. Deryabin can be regarded as one of the great achievements of Russian morphological research. Deryabin’s typology has become widespread and takes a leading place in Russian anthropological studies of intra- and intergroup features of physique in modern populations. Anthropologists of Lomonosov Moscow State University have obtained new data on the main directions of the secular trend (intergenerational changes) in the body sizes of Moscow youth over the past 50 years. Modern trends in changes of physique in the early twenty-first century include the continued increase in body weight and fat deposition (with differentrates in young males and females), a slight decrease of massiveness of the skeleton common to both sexes, and the tendency to increase andromorphism (masculinity) of physique in girls. A new contribution to the development of modern Human morphology could be the construction of predictive models of the microevolutionary transformations of the human physique in the third millennium based on fluctuating changes in socio-economic, demographic and socio-cultural factors. One of the actual practical tasks of Sports morphology is to identify anthropometric markers of sports success in various specializations for using at different stages of sports selection and correction of training process. Implementation of new digital technologies – 3D body scanners – into the practice of morphological research will allow storing information as digital copies of the human body and get a wide range of body composition indicators for different groups of the modern population. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. In our recent publications, we have established the possibility of using bioimpedance measurements to assess the Heath-Carter somatotype in different age groups. We aimed to develop unified formulas for calculating the somatotype in children and adults, evaluate their accuracy based on age and body mass index, and improve the somatotyping protocol in bioimpedance analyzer software.

Materials and methods. Data from our previous studies on comprehensive anthropometry and related BIA measurements were considered. The main group consisted of ethnic Russians aged 7-59, who were examined in Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Arkhangelsk Region, Elista, and Samara (N=4,296). The comparison group 1 included ethnic Russians aged 16-86 from the Krasnoyarsk Region (N=3,954). The comparison group 2 consisted of ethnic Kalmyks aged 8-25 from Elista (N=940). Using the data of the main group, bioimpedance predictive formulas for Endomorphy (ENDO_BIA) and Mesomorphy (MESO_BIA) ratings were obtained. We evaluated their accuracy in different subgroups of the main group and the comparison groups.

Results. The obtained formulas were as follows: ENDO_BIA = -3,411.8/R50 + 0.942´BMI – 0.00938´BMI² – 0.0235´Ht – 0.28´Sex + 0.034´Age – 2.69 (N=4,296; R²=0.84; SEE=0.76); MESO_BIA = 1,531.8/R50 + 0.302´BMI – 0.0529´Ht + 0.57´Sex – 0.032´Age + 4.52 (N=4,296; R²=0.87; SEE=0.48). These were relatively accurate for the age range 7-40 years for males and 7-59 years for females, but less accurate outside these age ranges or at high BMI values. Based on this, we also suggested formulas for obese people: ENDO_BIA = -2,569/R50 + 0.854´BMI – 0.0087´BMI² – 0.0263´Ht – 0.032´Sex + 0.018´Age – 1.60 (N=296; R²=0.69; SEE=0.87); MESO_BIA = 1,567/R50 + 0.55´BMI – 0.00512´BMI² – 0.0524´Ht + 0.42´Sex – 0.035´Age + 1.66 (N=296; R²=0.62; SEE=0.64). The formulas were integrated into the ABC-02 'Medas' (SRC Medas, Russia) BIA instrument software.

Conclusions. Our findings expand the possibilities for assessing the somatotype and studying its variability. Using uniform calculation formulas for children and adults will help improve comparability of estimates and validity of comparisons. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The article presents the results of the anthropological expedition to Petrozavodsk (Northwestern Federal District), conducted in April 2024, in order to study the long-term (secular) dynamics of total body size, changes in body proportions over the past 60 years, and morphological characteristics of modern youth in this region.

Materials and methods. The study group consisted of 470 young men and women aged 18–23, mainly (more than 90%) Russians by nationality, born and living in Petrozavodsk. Subjects were examined according to a comprehensive anthropometric program including measurement of total body sizes, shoulder and pelvic breadths, trunk and limb circumferences, skinfolds, and grip strength on right hand.

Results and discussion. The average height of young men born in Petrozavodsk increased by 7.7 cm across birth cohorts from the 1936-49s to the 2001–2006s (2024 survey). The rate of secular increase is about 1.1 cm per decade. Intergroup comparisons of body length in female samples from Petrozavodsk demonstrated an increase in height in modern women by 6.3 cm compared with the cohorts born in the 1936-49s (about 0.9 cm per decade). Along with the secular increase in total body size over the past 60 years, a tendency towards a relatively narrow build and an increase in andromorphic proportions of the body build in modern young women of Petrozavodsk has been noted. Long-term changes in anthropometric parameters in Petrozavodsk are comparable with the general secular trend in Russia and are consistent with the hypothesis of the dominant influence of socio-economic factors on intergenerational transformation of the physique of children, adolescents and young adults.

Conclusion. Based on the materials of an anthropological survey of young men and women in Petrozavodsk aged 18-23, conducted in 2024 by the research team of the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, using comparable data obtained from literature sources, long-term changes (secular trend) in total body size have been established. The regional features of the physique of young men and women surveyed in Petrozavodsk, compared with youth from other cities in Russia, were revealed. Based on the most informative body dimensions, spider web charts are created to illustrate the unique aspects of the physical condition of young men and women in Petrozavodsk. These charts can be employed to track physical development and enhance the adaptability and physical well-being of today's young population. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The dopaminergic system of the brain plays an important role in the formation of eating and other aspects of behavior. It has been shown that disturbances in dopamine neurotransmission are associated with both eating behavior and the formation of excess body weight and obesity. VNTR polymorphism in exon III of the dopamine receptor DRD4 gene presumably affects eating behavior through environmental perception, but studies on this topic are few. This study was conducted due to the lack of information on the association of DRD4 gene polymorphism with excess body weight.

Materials and methods. The work used the materials of a comprehensive anthropogenetic examination of 309 males and 298 females aged 17 to 30 years. Morphological parameters were measured using traditional anthropometric methods. Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) were used to determine the level of depression and aggression, respectively. Genomic DNA isolated from the buccal epithelium served as the material for the genetic analysis. The reliability of intergroup differences was assessed using the Mann-Whitney criterion.

Results and discussion. In this study, some differences in morphological characteristics were found in carriers of different genotypes of the DRD4 exon III locus. Carriers of the 4- genotype (females who do not have the allele with four repeats) are somewhat larger in build, they have higher values for body length and weight, as well as hip circumference, than carriers of the 4+ genotype (p<0.05). For males, no statistically significant differences in morphological characteristics were found between carriers of different genotypes. The results of the study showed that males with the 4+ genotype have comparatively higher scores on the physical aggression and hostility scales (p<0.05), as well as on the anger scale (p>0.05; tendency).

Conclusion. The obtained data suggest further study of the influence of VNTR polymorphism of the dopamine receptor DRD4 gene on the formation of food preferences and the tendency to excess fat deposition, together with a detailed study of the socio-economic status of individuals. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license