Estudio antropometrico de escolares de Palo Blanco, Departamento Tinogasta, Provincia de Catamarca, Argentina
Anthropometric study of students of Palo Blanco, Department of Tinogasta, Province of Catamarca, Argentina
Rev. Fac. Cienc. Méd. (Córdoba); 50 (2), 1992
Publication year: 1992
An anthropometric cross-sectional research was carried out in 211 students from Palo Blanco, in Tinogasta, Catamarca province. They were 110 boys and 101 girls aged 6-12 years, and they attended classes at the local school. Palo Blanco is a rural place, in a "very unfavorable" area, located on the west of Catamarca province, at 1.700 meters above sea level. Its climate is continental and half-deserted with a large diurnal thermometrical range. Measurements of body weight and standing height were obtained; then their averages and percentiles were compared with measurements of two samples obtained from urban areas. One of them was taken from students attending classes in Tinogasta (a city that belongs to the district having the sa-name), and the other from Catamarca city (the Capital of the province). Its aim was to determine the existence of some differences in the variables that were investigated, and that could de due to the rural situation of Palo Blanco's students. The anthropometrical variables in Palo Blanco's students resulted in values similar to those obtained in Tinogasta city, while both of them showed a significant difference, not only in body weight but also in standing height, in comparison to the students from the head city of Catamarca, especially in males. It may be concluded that conditions that differ from those derived of the rural situation, have incidence upon the behavior of these anthropometrical variables.