View source for Acceleration (human development)

{{Expand German|Akzeleration (Biologie)}}
[[File:Acceleration1.jpg|thumb|400px|Secular trend in decrease in age of menarche in Western European and North American girls<br />After:<ref>Boaz N. T. (1999): Essentials of biological anthropology. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, {{ISBN|0-13-080793-1}}.</ref>]]
[[File:Acceleration2.jpg|thumb|400px|Stature comparison between American-born children of European descent and earlier populations of the same heritage<br />After:<ref>Boaz N. T. (1999): Essentials of biological anthropology. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, {{ISBN|0-13-080793-1}}.</ref>]]
'''Acceleration''' in human development process is the phenomenon which has been registered in many populations around the world. This applies equally to the growth of certain anthropometric parameters and the speed of reaching sexual maturity. These facts illustrate the results of secular changes in body height and appearance of the first [[menstruation]] ([[menarche]]).<ref>Hatton T. J.  (2013): "How have Europeans grown so tall?"; ''Oxf. Econ. Pap.'', 2013: 112–138. doi: 10.1093/oep/gpt030.</ref><ref>Boaz N. T. (1999): ''Essentials of Biological Anthropology''. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, {{ISBN|0-13-080793-1}}.</ref><ref>Hadžiselimović R. (2005): ''Bioanthropology – Diversity of Recent Man.'' Sarajevo: INGEB (Institut za genetičko inženjerstvo i biotehnologiju u Sarajevu), {{ISBN|9958-9344-2-6}}, In Bosnian.</ref>

Increases in human stature are a main indicator of improvements in the average health of populations. The newest data set for the average height of adult male birth cohorts, from the mid-nineteenth century to 1980, in 15 European countries was studied (in the populations listed).

During a century average height increased by 11&nbsp;cm representing a dramatic improvement of this phenomenon. The apparent acceleration of body height occurred during the periods around the two [[World War]]s and after the [[Great Depression]].

In the mid-nineteenth century European girls' menarche occurred at the average age of 16.5 years. One hundred years later, this age was reduced to under 12 years.<ref>Boaz N. T. (1999): ''Essentials of Biological Anthropology''. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, {{ISBN|0-13-080793-1}}.</ref>

*'''Increase in adult height of birth cohorts (cm/decade)'''<ref>Hatton T. J., Bray E. (2010): "Long run trends in the heights of European men, 19th and 20th centuries". ''Economics and Human Biology'', 8:405–413.</ref>

{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" class="toccolours" style="align: left; margin: 0.5em 0 0 0; border-style: solid; border: 1px solid #999999; border-right-width: 2px; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 100%;"
|-
| style="background:#ddffdd;" |'''Population'''
| style="background:#ddffdd;" | '''1871–1875'''<br />to<br /> '''1976–1980'''
| style="background:#ddffdd;" | 1871–1875<br />to<br /> 1911–1915
| style="background:#ddffdd;" | '''1911–1915'''<br />to<br /> '''1951–1955'''
| style="background:#ddffdd;" |1951–1955<br />to<br /> 1976–1980
|-
| style="background:#f3fff3;" | '''[[Austria]]'''
|1.11

|0.59
|1.50
|1.32
|-
| style="background:#ddffdd;" | '''[[Belgium]]'''
|1.08
|0.41
|1.59
|1.32
|-
|style="background:#f3fff3;"|'''[[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]'''<ref>Hadžiselimović R. (2005): Bioanthropology – Diversity of recent man. Sarajevo: INGEB, {{ISBN|9958-9344-2-6}}, In Bosnian.</ref>
|
|
|
|2.00
|-
| style="background:#ddffdd;" |'''[[Denmark]]'''
|1.24
|0.58
|1.83
|1.37
|-
| style="background:#f3fff3;"| '''[[Finland]]'''
|
|
|
|0.84
|-
|style="background:#ddffdd;" |'''[[France]]'''
|0.91
|0.57
|1.10
|1.16
|-
| style="background:#f3fff3;"|'''[[Germany]]'''
|1.25
|
|
|1.20
|-
| style="background:#ddffdd;" | '''[[Great Britain]]'''
|0.93
|1.14
|0.99
|0.50
|-
| style="background:#f3fff3;"|'''[[Greece]]'''
|
|
|
|1.55
|-
| style="background:#ddffdd;" |'''[[Ireland]]'''
|0.80
|
|
|1.00
|-
|style="background:#f3fff3;"   | '''[[Italy]]'''
|1.06
|0.72
|1.14
|1.50
|-
| style="background:#ddffdd;"  | '''[[Netherlands]]'''
|1.41
|1.34
|1.32
|1.67
|-
| style="background:#f3fff3;"  |'''[[Norway]]'''
|0.93
|0.79
|1.49
|0.26
|-
|  style="background:#ddffdd;"  |'''[[Portugal]]'''
|
|
|0.94
|1.72
|-
|style="background:#f3fff3;" |'''[[Spain]]'''
|1.19
|0.74
|0.79
|2.53
|-
|style="background:#ddffdd;" |'''[[Sweden]]'''
|0.97
|0.68
|1.25
|1.00
|-
| style="background:#f3fff3;" |'''Average'''
|1.08
|0.76
|1.27
|1.26
|-
| style="background:#ddffdd;"| Standard Deviation
|0.18
|0.28
|0.31
|0.54
|}

==See also==
*[[Human body development]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Human biology]]
[[Category:Human development]]
[[Category:Biological anthropology]]