Study of somatotype in Italian children aged 6 to 10 years

Abstract

The aim of the present resem'ch was to study the variations of somatotype, calculated by the Heath-Carter anthropometric technique, during growth in a sample of children (416 males and 402 females), aged 6 and 10 years, attending primary and secondary schools of L'Aquila and its province (Abruzzo, Italy). The sample was subdivided into "urban" and "non-urban" groups, on the basis of the residence of the children, to examine possible differences in growth related to the different environments. This study give an account of the somatotype components between urban and non urban childreen between the age 6 and I0 years. A tendency toward an increase of endomorphy (adipose component) with age was noticed in both sexes. In females, ectomorphy (component of physical linearity) tended to increase and mesomorphy (muscular-skeletal component) showed a slight decrease during growth, while males exhibited a discontinuous trend. The differences between urban and non-urban children were not significant, although generally higher values of endomorphy and mesomorphy were found in males and females of the urban sampie. The differences between the sexes consisted of higher values of endomorphy and lower values of mesomorphy in females. Ectomorphy was similar in the two sexes.

Somatotype in 6–12-year-old West of Algeria Primary Schoolchildren

“…The study provides the first descriptive account to the somatotype component in children between 6 and 10 years of age from urban and non-urban areas of L'Aquila and its province (Central Italy). Beside the analysis of the difference between these sub-groups our aim was to study the variations of somatotype components during growth, differences in somatotype between children from urban and non-urban environments, valued by t-test were not particularly appreciable [12].…”