発育研究の動向

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The study of human growth and development is a basic science, and such studies focus on agerelated changes in morphology and physiology mainly during the first 20 years of life. During this period, rapid changes occur in size, physique and body composition and in various body systems. Already, many issues related to such changes have been suggested by the Subcommittee on Growth and Development of the Japanese Society of Physical Education. The study of growth and development as a rule does not deal with urgent problems; rather, issues related to age- and sex-associated variation and to the timing and tempo of the growth spurt and sexual maturation tend to dominate research in this area. This paper reviews several issues related to these broad topical areas: longitudinal studies, secular trends, the human growth curve, physiological age, and physical performance and activity. (1) Longitudinal studies are essential for understanding the processes of growth and development, especially for investigating individual differences among individuals. There are, however, difficulties associated with longitudinal designs so that there have been relatively few complete longitudinal studies. (2) Secular trends in body size and the timing of maturation were general phenomena in Japan, Europe and the United States, although the trends have slowed and/or stopped in some countries. It is, however, still important to understand factors that underlie secular trends. (3) Translating data for individuals into growth curves is a common method for analyzing human growth. To this end, mathematical fitting of curves to data for individual children is an important method that permits identification of important markers, especially peak height velocity and age at peak height velocity, among others. There are several protocols for curve fitting. (4) Physiological age is a concept that relates to the biological maturity status of individuals. Bone (skeletal) age and dental age are common indicators, but there have been only a few applications in clinical areas and in biological anthropology/human biology. (5) Interest in growthand maturity-related changes in physical performance and activity is rapidly increasing, especially in the context of the current epidemic of childhood obesity and the apparent decline in physical fitness and activity. Physical activity is often considered important to support normal growth and maturation, but its specific effects require systematic evaluation.
社団法人日本体育学会の論文
2006-05-10

発育研究の動向

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