Obesity in boys: the distinction between fatness and heaviness

An anthropometric survey of approximately 2350 boys aged 1-8 years was conducted as part of a study of pre-school child growth. It was shown that there was no close relationship between obesity measured as fatness from the triceps skinfold and the development of heaviness as judged by weight-for-height. It is suggested that the study of obesity in children should involve classification into sub-groups identifiable as the heavy but not fat, the fat but not heavy and those who are both heavy and fat. This may help in understanding the nature of obesity and its implications in future disease.