Stability of somatotypes in 4 to 10 year-old rural South African girls.
In 1996, a mixed Ellisras longitudinal study (ELS) was initiated to assess the stability of somatotypes in 408 girls who comprised 99 pre-school and 309 primary school children in Ellisras rural area in the Northern Province of South Africa. The children's somatotype was assessed using the Heath-Carter anthropometric method. Anthropometric dimensions were taken according to the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). The most stable pre-school and primary school girl had migratory distances (MDs) of 2.6 and 3.4, respectively, while the least stable pre-school and primary school girl had MDs of 17.9 and 24.4, respectively. The mean somatotype of the pre-school children was mesomorph-ectomorph throughout the complete age range, while the mean somatotype of primary school girls was mesomorph-ectomorph for all the age groups except for the 9.5 years group at which it was in the balanced ectomorph. The inter-age partial correlations for endomorphy and ectomorphy were high and significant, but insignificant with regard to mesomorphy.
Monyeki
K D
KD
Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of the North, Sovenga, South Africa. Monyekik@unin.unorth.ac.za
Toriola
A L
AL
de Ridder
J H
JH
Kemper
H C G
HC
Steyn
N P
NP
Nthangeni
M E
ME
Twisk
J W R
JW
van Lenthe
F J
FJ
D000367:Age Factors; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D013008:Somatotypes; D013019:South Africa / Q000208:ethnology