The absolute and relative growth rate of the longitudinal measurements in Riga school-age boys

Changes in social and economic factors call for the necessity to follow up the changes of the human body forms and functions, as well as to test whether the boys in the city of Riga are seen to have changes in the physical development in this century, since in the last ten years the physical and puberty parameters of boys in Latvia have not been defined. Therefore, in 2005 the Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology started a study on "Evaluation of Riga school-age boys physical development in the turn of the century". Anthropometrical measurements were carried out in Riga schools of 550 boys at the age from 7 to 18 years. The aim - to study the absolute and relative growth rate of the body longitudinal parameters in boys: the body height, the trunk length, the upper extremity length and the lower extremity length. Analyzing the acquired data on the parameters of 7-18 year-old boys, we can conclude that: the increase of the body height, the trunk length, the upper extremity length and the lower extremity length dynamics are positive in all the age groups, but an accelerated growth is seen at the age from 7 to 8 years, and from 13 to 14 years.