SUBSCAPULAR TRICEPS INDEX PERCENTILES IN CUBAN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

The percentiles (3,10,25,50,75,90 and 97) of the subscapular/triceps Index (SS/TR),. obtained in a sample of 7286 subjects (3721 males and 3765 females) aged 5 to 20 years, were calculated. Median values of SS/TR are generally higher in females up to the age of 13 years approximately, and show a pattern of peripheral distribution of fat during all the period of study. In males, a pattern of central distribution of fat develops starting from age fourteen and becomes more central as age increases. Values obtained were higher than those reported in the literature at all ages and in both sexes. The results reported in this paper show that SS/TR is useful for assessing changes in the pattern of fat distribution during childhood and adolescence.