Sexual differences in anthropometric measurements in French newborns
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 21, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
A M Guihard-Costa1, G Grangé, J C Larroche
1UMR 152 du CNRS, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie, Musée de l'Homme, France. guihard@cimrs.mnhn.fr
Abstract:
Sexual differences in anthropometric measurements have been studied in a sample of 17,787 preterm and full-term infants, born between 1980 and 1990 in the maternity of Clamart Hospital (Hauts-de-Seine, France). Body weight, body length, head and chest circumferences were found significantly larger in male newborns. Conversely, the subscapular and tricipital skinfold thicknesses had higher values in females. Such greater fatness in females could be related to the better outcome in neonates of this sex. The weight-for-height indices, however, did not show this female advantage: the body mass index (BMI) and the body weight/body length index were greater in male neonates, the ponderal index (PI) showed no sexual difference.
Related Concept Videos
Nature and Nurture
One-Way ANOVA: Unequal Sample Sizes
Introduction to the Skeletal System
Components of the Skeletal System
Bone, or osseous tissue, is a hard connective tissue that forms an internal support structure for the human body. Bones shield vulnerable organs and soft tissue from external forces. For example, the vertebral bones protect and support the spinal cord.
Cartilage, a semi-rigid connective tissue found in regions such as...
Signs of Puberty
Physical Growth During Infancy and Toddlerhood
Parental Influences on Gender Typing

