Fels and Tanner-Whitehouse Skeletal Ages of School Children 7–13 Years in Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

In an earlier report, the growth and skeletal maturity of primary school children 6–14 years of age living under low socio-economic conditions in a peripheral urban settlement (colonia) in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, was considered (Malina et al. 1976). Skeletal maturity was assessed with the Tanner-Whitehouse II (TW II) 20 bone method (Tanner et al 1975). Mean height and weight of the children approximated the 3rd and 10th percentiles of British reference data, but TW II skeletal ages (SA) indicated only a slight lag or delay. About 60% of the children had skeletal ages that lagged behind their chronological ages. The seeming discrepancy between the growth status of the children (3rd and 10th percentiles) and the relatively slight delay in skeletal maturity suggested, perhaps, a dissociation of growth in body size and skeletal maturity associated with chronic mild-to-moderate undernutrition. There is the possibility that the TW II method for the assessment of skeletal maturity may not be sufficiently sensitive in samples living under conditions of chronic, mild-to-moderate undernutrition. On the other hand, there may be population differences in the rate of skeletal maturation which need to be considered in selecting a method for assessment.