The influence of family characteristics on the heights, weights and skinfolds of highland and lowland children in Ethiopia.

In Ethiopian children residing at either high or low altitude, the relationship between growth (in stature, body weight and skinfold thickness) and age and family size (broken down into birth rank and number of younger sibs) was examined. Contrary to expectation, when children were grouped for similar ages, the impact of family characteristics appeared to be small. However, there was some evidence that among low-altitude girls, growth was significantly and positively related to the number of younger sibs. It is suggested tentatively that the relative lack of observed effects is due to the nuclear family being subsumed in a larger kinship group which forms the principal economic unit.