COMPARISON OF PHYSIQUE AND BODY TEMPERATURE AMONG SUBTROPICAL NATIVES, IMMIGRANTS OF SUBTROPICAL NATIVES TO TEMPERATE ZONE AND TEMPERATE NATIVES

Abstract

Anthropometrical measurements and measurements of body temperature were made in July in Naha (Okinawa, subtropical zone) on 7 young male Japanese who were born and reared in Okinawa (group O), and in July in Nishinomiya on 12 young male residents of Main Islands of Japan (temperate zone) born and reared in Okinawa (group OM) and 11 young male residents of Main Islands born and reared in Main Islands (group M). The mean value of duration of residence in Main Islands of subjects in group OM was 15.8 years. Skin temperatures at 10 sites and oral temperature of seated subjects, wearing short only, were measured in a climatic chamber maintained at 30 C and 70 per cent relative humidity after sitting in a chair at rest in the climatic chamber.Group O showed shorter height, lighter body weight, larger girths of chest, upper arm and thigh than group OM and M. Group O showed smaller mean values of Rohrer's index and Brugsch's index and greater mean value of the ratio of body surface area to body weight. Group O showed thinner skinfold thickness and smaller percentage of body fat content than other two groups. Differences of anthropometrical measurement between group OM and group M were much less when compared with those between group O and other two groups. Mean values of oral temperature for group O, OM and M were 37.0 C, 37.1 C and 37.2 C respectively. The mean values of mean skin temperatures for group O, OM and M were 35.0 C, 34.8 C and 34.9 C respectively. Group O showed considerably smaller value of T0-Ts gradient (2.02 C) than group OM (2.35 C) and group M (2.29 C). These results indicate that physical characteristics of subtropical natives have changed and that difference of physical characteristics between subtropical natives and temperate natives and capacity of maintaining higher skin temperature and higher conductive-convective heat transfer coefficient observed in subtropical natives were reduced by long residence in a temperate zone.