Parent-child correlation for various indices of adiposity in an endogamous Indian population

The study was conducted on 1,042 Punjabi adults and adolescent boys and girls (11-17 years) belonging to middle class families residing in Delhi, India. To study the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on various fat measures, a set of 7 body measurements namely weight, stature and skinfold thickness at biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac and medial calf measurements was taken on each subject. There was a redistribution of fat away from extremity towards the trunk, a rapid occurring process in males than in females. Increase in body mass index (BMI) with age was more pronounced in females than in males, both at adolescence and adult stage. There was an increase in grand mean thickness (GMT) calculated as mean of all five skinfold thicknesses, in adolescent girls where as in adolescent boys it fluctuated with age. The trunk/extremity ratios reflected a trend in favor of increase in trunk fat, more marked in boys than in girls. The correlations were of low magnitude, however, some skin folds displayed relatively higher value of correlation indicating that these could be determinant of adult obesity.