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Socioeconomic variation in the growth status of children in a subsistence agricultural community
Author(s) -
Malina Robert M.,
Little Bertis B.,
Buschang Peter H.,
DeMoss John,
Selby Henry A.
Publication year - 1985
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.1330680309
Subject(s) - subsistence agriculture , socioeconomic status , variation (astronomy) , agriculture , geography , socioeconomics , demography , economics , sociology , archaeology , physics , astrophysics , population
Socioeconomic variation in the growth status of 293 children, 6 through 13 years of age, from a rural subsistence agricultural community in southern Mexico was considered. Socioeconomic status was based on an index developed from landholdings, household goods, and occupation, and households were classified as high and low status. Growth measurements included weight, stature, sitting height, estimated leg length, arm and estimated arm muscle circumferences, triceps skinfold, and right gripping strength. The growth status of boys showed a clear socioeconomic differential, while that of girls did not. The results are consistent with the generalization that males are more influenced by environmental stresses than females, including, of course, the favorable stress of improved socioeconomic circumstances, even within seemingly single‐class rural communities.