American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 20, 694-701, Copyright © 1967 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Height, Weight, and Skin-Fold Thickness Data Collected during a Survey of Rural and Urban Populations of West Pakistan

¹ From The Department of Nutrition, Pakistan Medical Research Center, Lahore, West Pakistan of the Division of Nutrition, The Institute of International Medicine, and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201

Nutritional status as measured by height, weight, and arm skin-fold thickness has been evaluated on a sample of 2,096 Pakistanis randomly selected from a combined rural and urban population of 12,393. Heights and weights of 970 males and females 1-18 years revealed growth patterns which approximated 3rd percentile Iowa standards. Early height deficit which was partially overcome during adolescence never achieved maximum potential, especially among children from families of low socioeconomic status. Weight-for-height at a given age lagged behind that of average Iowa children by 6 months to 2 years.

Triceps skin-fold values of preschool children did not correspond to the skin-fold thickness patterns of British children until after 5 years of age. Subsequently, skin-fold values paralleled those of British children but at a magnitude between the 3rd and 10th percentile.

Comparison of male adult heights from a high income population with those from lower income populations suggested that early nutrient deficits in the latter group limited the extent of growth potential achieved. Heights and weights were lowest in the most underprivileged socioeconomic group.

Adult skin-fold values were low, particularly those of the rural communities. Skin-fold differences in the absence of corresponding weight differences reflect the greater lean body mass of rural compared with urban dwellers.