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Growth and development of adolescent girls from the Segou Region of Mali (West Africa)
Author(s) -
Pawloski Lisa R.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.10037
Subject(s) - menarche , anthropometry , malnutrition , demography , socioeconomic status , physical development , population , geography , psychology , medicine , developmental psychology , sociology , archaeology , pathology
In Mali, adolescent girls face many physical stresses which, with a history of poor nutrition, can result in delayed growth and development. Despite the fact that adolescent girls encounter nutritional demands, most research in Mali has focused only on young children. This study examines anthropometric and reproductive data on 1,056 adolescent girls (aged 10–17 years) from the Segou Region of Mali. When compared to the reference population, the Malian girls exhibited poorer indicators of growth and development. Z‐scores for height‐for‐age and weight‐for‐age were below 0 at all ages. Urban girls had better indicators of growth than rural girls. The body composition data show that the Malian girls have lower body fat than reference girls. Menarche was delayed by about 1.5 years compared to girls from the United States and Europe. Delayed growth and development may be due to many factors, including a history of undernutrition, poor socioeconomic status, and increased energy demands. Am J Phys Anthropol 117:364–372, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.