Variation of the cormic index since the onset of summer school camps in Spain (1887) up to present days.

Objectives: To assess a secular change in proportion between lower limbs and torso, we analyzed the evolution of cormic index in schoolchildren attending summer camps organized by the Spanish National Pedagogic Museum between 1887 and 1924, also comparing to later studies up to the present.

Subjects And Methods: Unpublished primary data for height and sitting height were collected from 805 individuals of both sexes. Data were pooled in cohorts according to age and year of measurement. Additionally, the analysis included comparison with published data from both national and international populations.

Results: Among males, a noteworthy decrease of the cormic index is perceived from the first to the last camps, while in females this is only seen for the group under 11 years old. With data from published Spanish references (1900-2019) a decrease is observed for the male series but is not evident for females. Cormic index values from the camps overlap among the international references, despite the former being from much earlier years.

Conclusion: The cormic index decreased among Spanish male children along the decades.