By: MAMPI DEBNATH, ARGINA KHATUN
Sitting height, sub-ischial leg length, and the sitting height/leg length ratio are useful for assessing body proportions and identifying abnormal growth patterns in individuals. This study aimed to examine age and sex variations in linear body measurements among Bengali adolescents. The cross-sectional study involved 402 Bengali adolescents from the Matigara region of Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Measurements of height, weight, and sitting height were recorded. SPSS (version 26) was utilized for statistical analysis. No significant sex differences were observed for any anthropometric parameters when analyzed by age. However, when combining all ages, significant sex differences were noted for all anthropometric and derived variables, except for BMI. A notable overall correlation with BMI was found for four variables: UTL (boys r= 0.425; girls r= 0.335 at p<0.01), UTLP (boys r= 0.154; girls r= 0.320 at p<0.01), SILL (boys r= 0.248 at p<0.05), and SILLP (boys r= -0.154; girls r= -0.320 at p<0.01) in boys, but no correlation with SILL was found in girls. The findings indicate significant sex and age differences in both upper and lower body segments among participants. SILL showed a significant positive correlation with UTL and a negative correlation with UTLP in both sexes.
