Body and head dimensions of adults in Sardinia (Italy) support different intensities of relative secular trends

This paper analyzes secular changes in body and head dimensions in adult females and males of different ages from Sardinia (Italy). The cross sectional sample consists of 863 individuals, 412 women and 451 men. They were born in the metropolitan Cagliari area, southern Sardinia, of parents native to the same area. The women and men were divided into four 5-year age groups, the first with individuals 20.00 to 24.99 years old, the last with individuals 35.00 to 39.99 years old. The ANOVA results suggest that the secular trend in body dimensions is still present in both Sardinian males and females, as shown by the significant differences in height (p≤0.05) and estimated lower limb length (p≤0.001), with the youngest age group (20.00-24.99) presenting the highest values. The relative sitting height index, whose distributions are also significantly different, decrease from the first age group to the last (p≤0.001). These differences do not disappear after ANCOVA (controlling for SES). Comparison of the cephalic index results with those of previous samples of Sardinian males seems to indicate a long-term trend toward brachycephalization. However, while the differences in head dimensions are not statistically significant, they suggest a recent trend toward debrachycephalization. Therefore, while the secular trend of height and above all of estimated lower limb length is still appreciable, that of the head dimensions has a lesser magnitude.