Somatotyping in Adolescents: Stratified by Sex and Physical Activity

Background: Somatotyping is a method for describing the human physique in terms of a number of traits that relate to body shape and composition. Somatotypes of athletes in selected sports are quite different from one another. It is also used to describe changes in physique during growth, ageing and training as well as in relation to physical performance. Somatotyping gives more information than some typical measures of body composition such as body fat percentage and body mass index that is useful in determining what type of sports will be suitable for an individual. Objective: School is a place where any type of intervention can bring about a substantial change in the physique of an individual and it is also a place where children are involved in various types of sports. The objective of the study is to somatotype school children and to find any sex difference if present. Methodology: Somatotyping consists of numerical ratings for adiposity (endomorphy), musculo-skeletal development (mesomorphy), and slenderness (ectomorphy). The anthropometric somatotype can be calculated from a set of 10 measurements: height, weight, four skinfolds (triceps, subscapular, upraspinale and medial calf), two biepicondylar breadths (humerus and femur) and two girths (upper arm flexed and tensed, and calf). The anthropometric measurements and somatotyping was done, based on Heath-Carter anthropometric somatotyping. Results: We have somatotyped children of a residential rural school in Pondicherry. We observed that somatotype of girls and boys were significantly different. Endomorph physique was more in girls, while mesomorph and ectomorph physique was dominant in boys. Conclusion: Somatotyping children in school will help us to identify specific physique deficiency and to help them in choosing the sports of their choice