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  • Title: Anthropometry in adolescent girls in Kingston, Jamaica.
    Author: Walker SP, Grantham-McGregor SM, Himes JH, Williams S.
    Journal: Ann Hum Biol; 1996; 23(1):23-9. PubMed ID: 8815783.
    Abstract:
    There is little information on the nutritional status of adolescents in developing countries. In particular there is a lack of data concerning black adolescents. We measured height, weight, and triceps and subscapular skinfolds in 452 13-14-year-old girls, randomly selected from those attending nine schools in Kingston, Jamaica. The girls' heights and body mass indices were appropriate for their age. This suggests that undernutrition was not a significant problem in this population. However, the girls' skinfolds were smaller than the US references, both those for the total population and those for blacks only. The fat pattern (triceps/subscapular ratio) was similar to that reported for adult black women in the United States. It is possible that the levels of fat in the references are not appropriate for this population. Data from other black populations are needed for comparison. To obtain further information on the anthropometry of Black female adolescents in developing country settings, height, weight, and skinfold measurements were recorded for 452 randomly selected 13-14 year old girls attending nine secondary schools in Kingston, Jamaica. Although the heights and body mass index values of the Jamaican girls were comparable to those of the US reference population, the Jamaican teens had less fat at both triceps and subscapular skinfold sites. 23% of girls in the Jamaican sample had triceps skinfold thicknesses below the 5th percentile of the American references. The median triceps skinfold of Jamaican girls was also less than that of US Black females. The fat pattern (indicated by the mean triceps/subscapular ratio) among Jamaican girls was similar to that reported for adult Black women in the US and smaller than that among US White adult women. A correlation of anthropometric values and housing ratings indicated that more affluent Jamaican girls were slightly taller and heavier than their poorer counterparts and had more fat. Overall, these findings suggest that undernutrition is not a significant problem among low-income adolescent girls in Jamaica. The data from this study can be used for comparison with other Black populations in developing countries.
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