Mid-Arm Circumference and Triceps Skin-Fold Thickness in Rural School Children: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

The cross sectional study was carried out to study mid- arm circumference and triceps skin-fold thickness in rural school children of 5�13 years of age. Study was carried out at schools of Sangli district in Maharashtra, India. A total of 910 rural school children (500 boys and 410 girls) were taken for study. Girls had higher values of mid-arm circumference and triceps skin-fold thickness than those of boys of rural schools. There was no fixed Indian standard for mid-arm circumference, so the values in present study were compared with other worker's study who had conducted their study significantly in well-nourished and affluent school children who did not have any constraints on growth imposed either by malnutrition or infection. Rural school children were found to have lower values of mid-arm circumference and triceps skin-fold thickness than well-fed, affluent school children and this might be attributed to better socio-economic status in the latter.