Selected anthropometric measurements for a low-income, black population in Mississippi

The anthropometric battery for the present study included measurement of height, weight, triceps and subscapular skinfolds, blood pressure, and pulse for a low-income, black population. All measurements were affected by age and sex. They generally increased with age. Blood pressures and skinfold thickness were greater in female subjects and in the old than in male subjects or in the young. Male subjects were always taller than female subjects at a comparable age. Women weighed more than men in the 30 to 60 age group. Hypertension and obesity were more prevalent among women and the old. The total anthropometric measurements of height, weight, and subscapular skinfold (but not of triceps skinfold) of children in this study were generally greater than those of children in other studies. This study shows that genetic and endocrine mechanisms may override environmental factors for selected anthropometric data.