Growth of the Asai child of the Madang district of New Guinea.

Abstract

SummaryA total of 249 children and 805 adults living in the Asai valley of the New Guinea highlands was examined and measured for height, weight, sitting height and skinfold thickness. Mean ages for groups of children were calculated from regression equations of height on age for different dental stages.The growth of the Asai child in all measured parameters is slower than that reported from any other world situation. The relationship between the growth of the Asai child and adult size confirms the finding, previously reported for New Guinean populations, that adult stature in a traditional society is proportionally related to, and possibly determined by, the growth rate of children in that society.Adult stature, which is at the lower end of the range for New Guinean populations, falls slightly with age, due to a decrease in trunk length. Weights and skinfold thickness, in common with other New Guinean populations, show a progressive fall with age.The role of malnutrition in the slow growth pattern is discussed and evidence is presented from New Guinean and other studies to support the hypothesis that natural selection for slow growth and shorter adult height occurs in conditions of nutritional deprivation.