Survey of the growth characteristics and body composition of Fulani children in a rural hamlet in northern Nigeria
Survey of the growth characteristics and body composition of Fulani children in a rural hamlet in northern Nigeria
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DOI：
10.1093/tropej/49.5.313
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发表时间：
2003-10-01
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
VanderJagt, DJ
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Glew, RH;Conn, CA;VanderJagt, DJ
本文报告了对生活在尼日利亚北部乔斯高原的 1 至 16 岁富拉尼儿童生长情况进行横断面研究的结果。富拉尼人是半游牧牧民，其经济和文化以牛为中心。我们测量了 176 名女孩和 164 名男孩的身高和体重，并使用生物电阻抗分析确定了他们的身体成分参数（脂肪含量、去脂质量和相位角）。男孩和女孩的体重指数值分别为14.9和15.0 kg/m(2)。当将富拉尼儿童的身高和体重与世界卫生组织的标准进行比较时，发现发育迟缓和体重不足的发生率很高：分别有 46% 的女孩和 57% 的男孩体重 Z 得分低于 -1.0，42% 和 57% 的身高 Z 得分低于 -1.0。即使根据身高调整体重，男孩和女孩的体重也远远低于其年龄和性别匹配的标准。儿童的脂肪含量百分比随着年龄的增长而下降，到16岁时，男孩的脂肪含量为10%，女孩的脂肪含量为20%。尽管富拉尼儿童的身高和体重明显低于国际标准，但他们的相位角值（通过生物电阻抗分析确定）与美国同龄健康儿童相当，该值是衡量身体细胞质量以及组织膜整体活力和健康状况的指标。这些结果表明，尽管居住在乔斯高原的富拉尼儿童中很大一部分发育迟缓且体重不足，但他们的组织膜的生物电特性表明他们相对健康。目前尚不清楚富拉尼儿童生长缓慢是否有遗传因素，或者是否是营养不良的结果。
This paper reports the results of a cross-sectional study of the growth of Fulani children, aged 1-16 years, living in the Jos Plateau of northern Nigeria. This particular population of Fulani are seminomadic pastoralists whose economy and culture are centered on cattle. We measured the heights and weights of 176 girls and 164 boys and determined their body composition parameters (fat content, fat-free mass, and phase angle) using bioelectrical impedance analysis. The body mass index values for the boys and girls were 14.9 and 15.0 kg/m(2), respectively. When the heights and weights of the Fulani children were compared against World Health Organization standards, the incidence of stunting and underweight was high: 46 per cent of the girls and 57 per cent of the boys, respectively, had weight Z-scores below -1.0, and 42 per cent and 57 per cent had height Z-scores below -1.0. Even when weight was adjusted for height, the boys and girls fell well below their age- and gender-matched standards. The percentage fat content of the children declined with age such that by age 16 years the fat content of the boys was 10 per cent and that of the girls 20 per cent. Although the Fulani children were significantly shorter and lighter than the international standards, their phase angle value (determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis), which is a measure of body cell mass and the overall vitality and health of tissue membranes, was comparable to those of similarly aged healthy children in the United States. These results indicate that although a large proportion of the Fulani children who inhabit the Jos Plateau are stunted and underweight, the bioelectrical properties of their tissue membranes suggest that they are relatively healthy. It is not known if the slow growth of the Fulani children has a genetic basis or if it is the result of nutritional shortcomings.