Age-related Skeletal Changes in Adult Populations Under Various Social and Geographical Conditions: An Anthropo-ecological Study*

Age-related changes in hand bones were studied in adult urban dwellers of Eastern Europe (Lithuania, Komi, and Moscow), and in first- and second- generation migrants from European countries to Israel, compared with the indigenous population of the Middle East. The total sample size was 1828. Signs of aging in the shape and structure of hand bones were assessed with x-rays using the OSSEO method. The results indicate a moderate level of adaptation discomfort, which is more pronounced in oilfield workers in Ukhta and in Moscow females. The aging of skeletal bones was more rapid in the migrant Israeli population of Kfar Saba than in the indigenous population of the Middle East. The results of the osseographic analysis support the hypothesis of adaptive stress in modern urban and migrant populations.