Association of Selected Circumferences with Height between Gender and Race in Prepubescent and Postpubescent Children

This study was designed to determine the association of selected circumferences with height among black and white, male and female, prepubescent and postpubescent children. Volunteers (N = 232) were grouped according to gender, race, and maturation level. Regression of the logs of the circumferences on the log of height revealed regression coefficients ranging from .74 to 1.3, except for the upper arm circumference (1.7), thus confirming the theoretical expectation of a linear relationship between circumference and height. Within-gender relationships of each circumference with height were determined using regression analysis. In general the prepubescent circumferences deviated below the within-gender line while the postpubescent circumferences typically deviated above it; however, there were exceptions in both sexes. Moreover, the racial differences in the circumference deviation scores were not consistent within either the male or female samples. The consideration of gender, race, and maturation is important in determining the association of circumference with height. The use of circumferences adjusted for height can be useful in studying muscle development in children.