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International Journal of Biological & Medical Research

Int J Biol Med Res. 2012; 3(3): 1892-1894

Anthropometric parameters of school children with different life style in western rajasthan population

Sushma K. Kataria*, Madhu Bhati, Pooja Pareek, Kushal R kataria, Abhilasha dadhich

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords:

Original Article

Body mass index (BMI)Hip circumferenceMid arm circumferenceWaist circumference.

1. Introduction

2. Material and Methods

1. 3-6 years age group2. 6-9 years age group3. 9-12 years age group4. 12-15 years age group5. 15-18 years age group

Various anthropometric parameters were measured:

Life style introduces 'way of life'. According to a geographical area it generally divides into two

group urban and rural life style. Both type of life style and various factors affect a child's

growth. Aims & objective: The aim of present study was to find out the effect of different life

style on school children through anthropometric parameters. Material and method: The

present study was performed on 150 children (75 urban and 75 rural) 3 to 18 years age group.

BMI, Waist circumference, Mid arm circumference, Hip circumference and Triceps &

Suprailiacal skin fold thickness were measured. Results: Observation showed that all

parameters are significantly related with life style.

"Life style" is a term coined by Austrian Psychologist Alfred

Adler (1929) to describe the way a person lives. Life style affects a

child's growth and development which is dependent on type of

nourishment. In India a large number of population more than 100

million people (11% of Indian population) are over nourished.

Whereas the prevalence of underweight in rural areas 50% versus

38% in urban areas and higher among girls (48.9%) than among

boys (45.5%).

The factors affecting nutritional trends of children in various

demographic groups are Region, Type of school (Govt. & private),

Socioeconomic status, Gender, Religion, Parental education, No. of

children in a family, Dietary habits (Vegetarian & non vegetarian),

Fast food consumption and Physical fitness.

Over nourishment and under nourishment both conditions

are harmful for child's growth and development. Leading to the life

styles their anthropometric parameters have a profound effect on a

child's growth and development.

The study done by Sabate J et al obtained Private schools

children had adequate growth and associated with a lower weight

for height [1]. On the other hand Ozdirence M et al resulted that BMI

was higher in urban children than rural children [2]. Reyes ME et

al, reported that skin fold thickness was higher in rural girls than

urban girls [3]. Tharkar s et al, observed that urban areas children

with upper socioeconomic status and rural children with lower

socioeconomic status found a statistically significant relation for

mean waist circumference [4]. Thus, it is seen that predictive

power of anthropometric indices is depended upon an individual's

life style. Therefore, it is essential to determine what values of

simple anthropometric measurements are associated with obesity

or underweight risk for children.

Thus the aim of this study is to delineate the influence of

different life style on school children through anthropometric

parameters in western Rajasthan Population.

The present study was carried out on children studying in

Government and private schools and few from colleges located in

urban (Nagaur) and rural (Tausar village) areas of western

Rajasthan. Total sample data obtained were 150 students out of

which 75 were of urban areas and 75 were of rural areas. The

children were further subdivided into various age groups:

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Department of Anatomy, Dr. S. N. Medical College, Jodhpur Rajasthan.

* Corresponding Author : Dr. Sushma K.Kataria

Warden Bungalow, Medical Girls hostel, M.D.M.Hostel campus, shastri nagar , Jodhpur (Raj) 342003Phone No. 09414134813E-mail: drkushal 11@ yahoo.co.in

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1893Sushma K. Kataria et.al / Int J Biol Med Res. 2012; 3(3): 1892-1894

Weight calculated by weighing machine and height by

measuring tape. BMI was calculated by following given by Garrow

JS & Websler J, 1985.

2 2BMI (kg/m ) = Weight (kg)/ Height (m )

HC was measured at the widest portion of the hips by a

measuring tape (Fig 3).

Proposed classification of BMI for Asians [WHO]

Class BMI (Kg/m²)

Underweight <18.5

Normal 18.5-23

Overweight 23-25

Obese >25

WC was measured at most lateral contour of the abdomen by a

measuring tape (Fig 1).

Using measuring tape, mid arm circumference was taken at

maximum girth of arm (Fig 2).

Skin fold measurements were also taken at the following sites

by using skin fold measuring calipers:

ü Triceps (TRI) - On the back of arm.

ü Suprailical(SI)–Above iliac crest, at the level of umbilicus

Arithmetic mean and standard deviation were calculated for

all parameters studied.

A life style typically reflects an individual's attitudes, values or

world view. It affects a person's life from womb to tomb. Growth

and development are intrinsic characteristics of childhood.

Growth is the increase in size of a child while development is the

progressive acquisition of physical (motor), cognitive (thought),

linguistic (communication) and social (emotional) skills which is

reflected by the children's life style [5]. The need for a better

understanding of how to achieve healthy life style, how to slow

down the process of under nutrition and over nutrition. Therefore,

the present study was conducted on 150 children of either sex of

varying age group (3 to 18 years), comprising of 75 urban and 75

rural children.

In Asians, the increased risks associated with obesity have

been shown to occur at lower BMI's and these populations are

predisposed to visceral or abdominal obesity. Therefore, WHO

proposes lower BMI values to define overweight and obesity in

people living in Asia – Pacific Region.

Mean BMI (in kg/m²) of the urban subjects and rural subjects in

the present study was 18.37 ±5.23 and 16.76 ±4.40 kg/m²,

respectively. A statistically significant relation (t=2.04; p=0.04)

was observed. Similarly Ozdirence M et al, resulted that BMI was

2.1.Body mass index(BMI) (Kg/m²): 2.4.Hip circumference (HC) (m):

Fig 3: Measurement of Hip circumference

2.5.Skin fold thickness (m):

3.Results & Discussion:

2.2.Waist circumference (WC) (m):

2.3.Mid arm circumference (m):

Fig 2: Measurement of Mid arm Circumference

Fig 1: Measurement of Waist circumference

Mean Body mass index

Mean Body mass index

Group

Group

Urban

Rural

p value

t value

Urban

Rural

p value

t value

*S= Significant

*HS= Highly Significant

18.37 ±5.23

16.76 ±4.40

0.0431 (S)

2.04

0.184±0.032

0.161±0.023

<0.0001 (HS)

5.054

1894

significantly (p<0.05) higher in urban children than rural

children2.Tharkar S et al, reported that urban areas children with

upper socioeconomic status and rural areas children with lower

socioeconomic status had a statistically significant relation

(p<0.071) for mean BMI [4].

Mean mid arm circumference (in meters) of the urban subjects

and rural subjects in the present study was 0.18 ±0.03 and 0.16

±0.02 meters, respectively. A statistically highly significant

relation (t=5.05; p<0.0001) was observed.Reyes ME et al, reported

that the magnitude of urban and rural difference in boys reduced

for mid arm circumference and for girls it was slightly smaller over

the interval [3].

Mean WC (in meters) of the urban subjects and rural subjects

in the present study was 0.57 ±0.08 and 0.52 ±0.05meters,

respectively. A statistically highly significant relation (t=4.58;

p<0.0001) was observed. Ozdirence M et al, resulted that there

was no significant difference in WC between urban and rural

children [2].

Mean HC (in meters) of the urban subjects and rural subjects

in the present study was 0.68 ±0.11 and 0.64 ±0.09 meters,

respectively. A statistically significant relation (t=2.55; p=0.01)

was observed. Ozdirence M et al, found statistically no significant

difference in HC between urban and rural school children [2].

The mean Triceps thickness and Suprailiac thickness of urban

subjects was 0.008 ±0.03 and 0.009 ±0.004 meters, respectively. It

was 0.006 ±0.002 and 0.007 ±0.002 meters, respectively in rural

subjects. A statistically highly significant relation for triceps (t=

4.80; p<0.0001) and for Suprailiac (t=3.87; p=0.0002) was

observed. Ozdirence M et al, observed statistically significant

relation (p<0.05) in skin fold thickness between urban and rural

school children [2].

Table No. 1. Shows mean BMI in urban and rural groups3. Conclusion

5. References

Table No. 2 Shows mean mid arm circumference in urban and

rural groups

Mean Body mass index

Mean Body mass index

Mean Body mass index Suprailiac

Group

Group

Group

Urban

Rural

p value

t value

Urban

Rural

p value

t value

Urban

Rural

p value

t value

*HS= Highly Significant

*S= Significant

*HS= Highly Significant

0.576 ±0.089

0.520 ±0.057

<0.0001 (HS)

4.589

0.687 ±0.119

0.642 ±0.095

0.0115 (S)

2.559

0.008 ±0.03

0.006 ±0.002

<0.0001 (HS)

4.804

0.009 ±0.004

0.007 ±0.002

0.0002 (HS)

3.873

Table No. 3 Shows mean waist circumference in urban and

rural groups

Table No. 4 Shows mean Hip circumference in urban and rural

groups

All anthropometric parameters (BMI, Waist circumference, Mid

arm circumference, Hip circumference and Triceps & Suprailiacal

skin fold thickness) have significant relationship for urban and

rural children. Thus a child's growth and development is

profoundly affected by the anthropometric parameters and life

style.

Table No. 5 Shows mean Skin fold thickness in urban and rural

groups

Copyright 2010 BioMedSciDirect Publications IJBMR - All rights reserved.

ISSN: 0976:6685.c

Sushma K. Kataria et.al / Int J Biol Med Res. 2012; 3(3): 1892-1894

[1] Sabate J, Lindsted KD, Harris RD and Johnston K. Anthropometric parameters of school children with different life styles. Am J dis child.1990; 144 (10):1159-1163.

[2] Ozdirence M, Ozcan A, Akin F & Gelecek N. Physical fitness in rural children compared with urban children in Turkey Pediatrics international,2005;47:26-31.

[3] Reyes ME, Tan SK & Malina RM. Urban- Rural contrasts in growth status of school children in Oaxaca, Mexico. Escuela Nacional de Antropologiae Historia Mexico, DF, 1972.

[4] Tharkar S & Viswanthan V. Impact of socioeconomic status on prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in urban India. The open obesity Journal,2009;1:9-14.

[5] Oyewale AA, Ojo SA, Adebisi SS and Danborno SB. The study of anthropometric variables on growth and development of school children in Zaria, Nigeria”. Asian j of Med Science,2010; 2(4):185-189.

[6] Garrow JS and Websler J. Quetlex Index (W/H2) as a measure of fatness. Int. J. Obesity; 1985;9:147-153.