© 1987 by Oxford University Press
research-article |
The Growth Pattern of Adolescent Tswana Schoolchildren
Department of Paediatrics, University of the Witwatersrand
Correspondence: F. P. R. De Villiers, 7 Silas Street, Cyrildene, 2198 Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
Southern African black children are smaller than North American children. Despite some secular size increases, they have not yet caught up with the NCHS standards.
Rural Tswana schoolchildren were weighed, and their height and head circumference measured.
Of the boys, 77.5 per cent were underweight for age compared with only 35.8 per cent of the girls; 67.8 per cent of the boys and 50 per cent of the girls were short for age. Girls are thus closer to the NCHS standards than the boys, but a fair number of the girls were relatively obese (heavier than expected from their height).
The population mean for weight and height falls in the mild malnutrition (Gomez) interval and the first degree stunting (Waterlow) interval. The study population is also compared with populations from elsewhere in Africa.
There is some late ‘catch-up’ growth in early adulthood, and possible reasons for this are examined; the ‘catch-up’ growth is, however, less impressive than in some other African populations.
The data presented here correspond well with the findings of others. Secular changes in growth patterns of South African blacks should be closely observed; for this to be useful the ethnic group of subjects should be ascertained in future studies, since with improved socio-economic circumstances the importance of genetic influence on growth patterns is likely to increase.