Teul Iwona Beata, Świniarska Barbara, Flis Weronika, Wronka Iwona
Chair and Department of Normal Anatomy, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
University Clinical Hospital No. 1, Psychiatry Ward with a Day Care Unit, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2024;83(4):893-901. doi: 10.5603/fm.98782. Epub 2024 Mar 21.
This article is an attempt to apply fluctuating asymmetry as a morphometric method of studying changes in specific structures of the right and the left side of the body to determine variables that may affect morphogenesis and, consequently, human morphology in adulthood. The main aim of this study was to use the fluctuating asymmetry level as an indicator of adverse living conditions in childhood by determining the impact of environmental components (socio-economic factors and air pollution) on the level of body asymmetry in young women and men.
Data were collected from 877 students from various Polish universities, including 483 women and 394 men. Anthropometric data and questionnaire responses were recorded. As part of the surveys, respondents provided information about their place of residence, socio-economic status, and lateralisation. The composite body FA (cFA) was assessed based on 6 bilateral features: the length of fingers II and IV of both hands, the length and width of the ear, and the length and width of the foot.
The present study supports the hypothesis that asymmetry increases as socioeconomic status decreases and air pollution levels increase. Differences in asymmetry, depending on environmental factors, socioeconomic status (SES), and air quality, were in most cases greater in men than in women. The results confirm that variable asymmetry is a sensitive indicator of an individual's exposure to unfavourable environmental factors during ontogenesis. Moreover, the results of the conducted research suggest that environmental factors may influence the structure of the human body, and irreversible morphological alterations are the result of unfavourable conditions occurring in the early stages of biological development.
本文试图应用波动不对称性作为一种形态测量方法，来研究身体左右两侧特定结构的变化，以确定可能影响形态发生并进而影响成年期人类形态的变量。本研究的主要目的是通过确定环境因素（社会经济因素和空气污染）对青年男女身体不对称水平的影响，将波动不对称水平用作童年不良生活条件的指标。
从波兰各大学的877名学生中收集数据，其中包括483名女性和394名男性。记录了人体测量数据和问卷回复。作为调查的一部分，受访者提供了他们的居住地点、社会经济地位和利手情况等信息。基于6项双侧特征评估复合身体FA（cFA）：双手食指和无名指的长度、耳朵的长度和宽度以及脚的长度和宽度。
本研究支持以下假设：随着社会经济地位的降低和空气污染水平的升高，不对称性增加。在大多数情况下，取决于环境因素、社会经济地位（SES）和空气质量的不对称性差异在男性中比在女性中更大。结果证实，可变不对称性是个体在个体发育过程中暴露于不利环境因素的敏感指标。此外，所进行研究的结果表明，环境因素可能影响人体结构，而不可逆的形态改变是生物发育早期出现的不利条件的结果。
