Anthropometric comparisons among low-income Mexican-American children aged 10 through 14

Abstract

Triceps and subscapular skinfold measurements in 795 Mexican-American children, 10 through 14 years of age, were compared with corresponding data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The sign test of significant differences in distributions was used to test for differences between NCHS triceps and subscapular reference standards and those derived from the study sample. Among the boys, analysis of the data revealed statistically significant differences (p less than .01) in both measurements for all age levels. For the girls, significant differences (p less than .01) also existed in triceps measurements among the 10-year-olds and subscapular measurements at all age levels. The results indicated a high degree of body fatness among the population group studied.