Geographic variation in the growth status of indigenous school children and youth in Mexico

• Published in: American journal of physical anthropology 2018-12, Vol.167 (4), p.791-803
• Main Authors: Malina, Robert M., Little, Bertis B., Lanceta, Joel, Peña Reyes, Maria Eugenia, Bali Chávez, Guillermo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bilingual education; Bilingualism; BMI; Body mass; Children; Children & youth; Girls; height; indigenous groups; Indigenous peoples; Latin America; Nutrition; Schools; weight; Youth
• ISSN: 0002-9483; 1096-8644; 2692-7691
• DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23706

Objective To analyze variation in the growth status of indigenous children and youth attending bilingual schools, escuelas albergues, for the indigenous population in México. Materials and methods The children and youth attended escuelas albergues in 1,009 localities in 21 Mexican states in 2012. Heights and weights of 31,448 boys and 27,306 girls 6–18 years of age were measured by trained staff at each school; the BMI was calculated. The students were divided into five geographic regions for analysis: North, Central, South‐Gulf, South‐Pacific, and South‐Southeast. Growth status was compared to United States reference percentiles (P). Results Mean heights of children and youth from the five regions varied between P10 and P5 of the reference until about 13 years (girls) and 14 years (boys); subsequently, heights were ≤P5. Mean weights in both sexes were at P25 of the reference between 6 and 12 years, and then varied between P25 and P10 in boys and were ≥P25 in girls. Given the elevated weights relative to heights compared to the reference, mean BMIs of indigenous boys and girls were at or above the reference medians. Children and youth in the North and Central regions were, on average, taller than those in the South‐Pacific and South‐Southeast regions, while heights of those in the South‐Gulf region were generally intermediate. In contrast, mean weights and BMIs differed negligibly among the regions. Conclusions The geographic gradient in heights of indigenous children and youth was consistent with a north‐to‐south pattern noted among indigenous adults in studies spanning 1898 through 2013. Variation in height among children and youth likely reflected ethnic‐specific and geographic variation interacting with economic and nutritional factors.