Assessment of the growth of children and physical status of adults in two Aboriginal communities in South Australia

Abstract

Growth of children and physical status of adults in two Aboriginal communities, Gerard and Raukkan, South Australia, were assessed. Height, weight, biepicondylar breadth of humerus, the triceps and subscapular skinfolds, and arm circumferences were measured on 110 children and 77 adults annually between 1996 and 2000. Data were transformed to z scores, using American reference data. In all groups height z scores are negative. In all but Raukkan boys, the z scores are significantly smaller than the reference. Body weight z scores lie above the reference, with the only exceptions being Gerard children. Still, in all cases BMI lies above the reference, being significantly greater than the reference, except in Gerard girls. z scores for the triceps skinfold are not consistently positive, but those for the subscapular skinfold are positive in all groups, indicating centralized fat accumulation. In both boys and girls, Raukkan men and Gerard women, biepicondylar breadth of the humerus is below the reference. Increased BMI and trunk fatness suggest that members of these communities are not only receiving adequate nutrition, but that in many cases there is also a caloric surplus, sometimes leading to obesity. Inadequate skeletal growth indicated by short stature and small biepicondylar breadths, on the other hand, suggests that the environment is less than optimal for growth. Factors such as disease load, psychosocial pressures, or specific nutrient shortages may be involved.