Anthropometric somatotype of Bod girls: A comparison of high and low altitude populations

The high altitude environment is known to influence the morphophysiology of man in a variety of ways. Its possible impact on somatotype of adolescent girls has not been investigated so far. For this purpose 348 female Bods, from 10 to 18 years old, have been somatotyped from high altitude (n = 176) of Ladakh (3,534 m) and low altitude (n = 172) of Kullu Valley (1,500-2,200 m). The results of the study reveal greater mesomorphy and ectomorphy in the high altitude Bod girls than in ethnically similar low altitude Bod girls of comparable age. The study has accorded the differences in the somatotypes to the high altitude stresses. Striking similarities in boys and girls in terms of higher mesomorphy and ectomorphy in the highlander Bods than the coeval lowlanders confirm the hypothesis that the high altitude environment influences the somatotype components.