Sitting height, sitting height/height ratio, arm span and arm span-height difference of healthy adolescents in Surakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Background Sitting height, sitting height/height ratio (SHR), arm span, and arm span-height difference (AHD) are indices to diagnose conditions of disproportion. Reference data on sitting height, SHR, arm span, and AHD for Indonesian children are limited.Objective To compile reference data on sitting height, SHR, arm span, and AHD in Indonesian adolescents, and to compare these indices for boys and girls at various ages.Methods A population-based survey was conducted from August 2016 to November 2017 in three high schools in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. A convenience sampling method was employed to recruit healthy adolescents without history of chronic disease, history of physical trauma, and/or physical disabilities. All subjects underwent anthropometric measurements (height, weight, sitting height, and arm span), and their ethnic origins were noted. The lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) method was used for reference construction. ResultsOf 639 subjects, 42% were male. Body mass index (BMI) values were similar between males and females. Mean height, weight, sitting height, and arm span of males were greater than those of females. The mean male and female SHRs were 51.1 (SD 1.6) % and 51.0 (SD 1.6) %, respectively (P=0.36), while the mean AHDs were 4.2 (SD 4.5) cm and 3.4 (SD 4.1) cm, respectively (P=0.02). The formula to estimate height based on arm span in males was [height = (0.78 x arm span) + 32.14] in cm. The formula in females was [height = (0.66 x arm span) + 50.59] in cm. ConclusionThere was no significant difference in SHR between male and female adolescents. However, males have significantly larger mean AHD than females. We provide references on sitting height, SHR, arm span, and AHD in male and female adolescents. [Paediatr Indones. 2018;58:138-45; doi: http://dx.doi.

Knee height and knee height/height ratio of healthy schoolchildren

“…Our previous study on the sitting height/height ratio in adolescents showed similar values between boys and girls. 8 The knee height of children with short stature was smaller than that of children with normal stature, but there were no differences in the patterns of knee height/height ratio with respect to stature in our subjects. The peak knee height/height ratios in children with short or normal stature were similar.…”

“…These results were in agreement with those of our previous study on sitting height/height ratio and another study involving an Asian population with similar proportions. 8,9 There were some limitations to our study. Since we conducted a study of urban schoolchildren from one elementary and one junior high school in Surakarta, Central Java, our sample might not be representative of all schoolchildren in Indonesia.…”