The bearing of height, weight and skinfold thickness on obesity in four South African ethnic groups of school pupils of 17 years.

Studies on height, weight and skinfolds in four anatomical regions have been made on groups of South African Black, Coloured, Indian, and White pupils of 17 years. Examination of weight for height compared with weight for age data have revealed high percentages of obesity particularly in non-White groups. Obesity is not only reflected in higher mean umbilical skinfold values found in the short, lighter urban Indian, also Coloured and Black girls, compared with taller, heavier White girls, but in high percentages of body weight as fat. There was an unexpected similarity of mean triceps skinfold values in the different ethnic groups. It is suggested that the problem of overweight and obesity in adolescent subjects, who remain underheight, whether from nutritional, genetic or adverse environmental factors, may be aggravated by school feeding schemes, as once the physiological demands of the pubertal growth spurt have been met, obesity is occurring in these former so called malnourished groups. The obesity occurs without dietary intervention.