Koníková Linda, Liczbińska Grażyna, Králík Miroslav
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
The Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
Am J Hum Biol. 2025 Jan;37(1):e24175. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.24175. Epub 2024 Oct 30.
This study aims to explore the lasting effects of stress experienced by pregnant women during World War II (WWII) on body and head measurements of their adult daughters.
The research sample consists of 336 female university students born in Poland between 1925 and 1951. The data include body measurements and socioeconomic information (parental occupation and number of siblings) acquired from questionnaires collected between the 1950s and 1970s. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test and Analysis of Variance were used to analyze differences in body measurements between groups of women born before and during the war, as well as the possible influences of socioeconomic variables.
The mean measurements of body height, symphysion height, and waist circumference were lower in women conceived and born during the war compared to those born in the pre-war period. In contrast, the mean measurements of biacromial (shoulder) width, trunk length, and three head dimensions were higher in women conceived and born during the war. Additionally, the number of siblings appeared to be a significant factor that may have influenced the body measurements of women in both groups. For instance, a higher number of living siblings, particularly sisters, was associated with reduced body dimensions, such as body height and waist circumference, while a greater number of deceased siblings was linked to an increase in certain body dimensions.
The results suggest that war-related prenatal conditions may have influenced the postnatal growth and development of women conceived and born during the war. Notably, the direction of these changes varied, which indicates that the growth response to the war-related conditions was a complex adaptation, reflecting both positive and negative changes in different body parts, rather than a uniform pattern of growth suppression.
本研究旨在探讨二战期间孕妇所经历的压力对其成年女儿身体和头部测量数据的长期影响。
研究样本包括1925年至1951年出生在波兰的336名女大学生。数据包括20世纪50年代至70年代收集的问卷中获取的身体测量数据和社会经济信息（父母职业和兄弟姐妹数量）。使用学生t检验、曼-惠特尼检验和方差分析来分析战前和战时出生的女性群体之间身体测量数据的差异，以及社会经济变量的可能影响。
与战前出生的女性相比，战时受孕并出生的女性的身高、耻骨联合高度和腰围的平均测量值较低。相比之下，战时受孕并出生的女性的肩宽（肩部）、躯干长度和三个头部尺寸的平均测量值较高。此外，兄弟姐妹的数量似乎是一个可能影响两组女性身体测量数据的重要因素。例如，在世的兄弟姐妹数量较多，尤其是姐妹，与身体尺寸的减小有关，如身高和腰围，而去世的兄弟姐妹数量较多则与某些身体尺寸的增加有关。
结果表明，与战争相关的产前状况可能对战时受孕并出生的女性的产后生长发育产生了影响。值得注意的是，这些变化的方向各不相同，这表明对与战争相关状况的生长反应是一种复杂的适应，反映了身体不同部位的正负变化，而不是统一的生长抑制模式。
