Growth pattern of the Sugalis - a tribal population of Andhra Pradesh, India

With a view to assess physical growth, a cross-sectional study was made on 1565 Sugali children (854 boys and 711 girls), aged 1 to 20 years. Anthropometric measurements included height, weight, upper arm circumference, biacromial diameter, biiliocristal diameter, chest circumference, head circumference and skinfold measurements at triceps, subscapular, suprailiac and medial calf. All anthropometric measurements except skinfold measurements exhibit uniform increase with age in both the sexes. A gradual increase in four skinfold measurements is observed with age in the case of girls, whereas slight decrease is observed in the case of the boys. The Sugali boys and girls are shorter and lighter than well-to-do Indian standards. The median heights and weights of Sugali boys and girls fall below the 5th percentile of NCHS standards. Finally, the results were discussed with a comparative view point.