Adiposity and growth: relationship of stature at fourteen years with relative body weight at different ages and several measures of adiposity and body bulk.
A non-probabilistic sample of 354 healthy adolescents (182 boys and 172 girls) with ages ranging from 13.6 to 14.5 years was studied. Measurements of mid-arm muscle, thigh and leg circumferences, triceps and subscapular skinfolds, and records of body weight and height at one, four, six and twelve years of age were available. The sexual maturation stage of all subjects was also determined. Height at fourteen years was found to be significantly associated with relative body weight at different ages in both sexes, and particularly with the relative weight at twelve months. Height is more strongly related with indicators of lean body mass than with indicators of adiposity, especially in boys. The stage of sexual development is also an important determinant of stature at fourteen years of age. The results seem to support the hypothesis that the same factors which increase fat deposition, contribute to increase lean tissues and linear growth.
Amador
M
M
Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Havana, Cuba.
Bacallao
J
J
Hermelo
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D012885:Skinfold Thickness