Cross-sectional anthropometric study of Burmese boys and girls 9-14 years of age with secular comparisons from 1948.

Somatic data were collected during January 1992 on 135 boys and 121 girls attending school in Yangon (Rangoon), Burma. The measures of body size (stature, sitting height, lower limb height, shoulder width, hip width, and chest girth), and body form (lower limb height as a percentage of sitting height) were analyzed for central tendency and variability. Comparisons were made with earlier samples of Burmese children measured in 1948, 1957, and 1960 as well as with samples from China, India, and Japan. Lower mean statures suggest that children from low socioeconomic circumstances in Burma are experiencing a negative secular trend that coincides with a declining economy. Before further inferences can be made, additional studies are needed due to the small sample size and restricted socioeconomic strata. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.