Median skinfold thickness distributions and fat-wave patterns in Mexican-American children from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES 1982–1984)

Data for triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, and medial calf skinfold thickness measurements from 3587 Mexican-American children included in HHANES (1982-1984) were used to describe age- and sex-related distributions in median skinfold thicknesses. Median triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness values for Mexican-American children were compared with those for white and black children from NHANES II (1976-1980). Results indicated that among Mexican-American boys, there was a prepubescent fat gain, followed by a mid-pubescent fat loss, and then an increase in the middle of the second decade at the triceps and medial calf skinfold sites. This “fat-wave” pattern was not as marked either at the subscapular or suprailiac sites in boys or at any skinfold site in girls. There was considerable sexual dimorphism in skinfold thickness at each site. Mexican-American girls had thicker skinfolds than boys. Mexican-American children tended to have thicker skinfolds than white children, and white children tended to have thicker skinfolds than black children.