Somatotypic Variations With Age in Institutionalized and Control Adolescents

Abstract

In the present study an attempt has been made to assess anthropometric somatotype and study the effect of emotional deprivation on age variations in somatotype of institutionalized and controlled adolescents of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. Crosssectional data on 504 emotionally deprived and 570 controls (including both sexes) aged 11 to 17 years were collected for various measurements. The institutionalized males followed a trend from being balanced mesomorphs to being balanced ectomorphs during the adolescent years. While the control group ones were mesomorphic ectomorphs during the initial years and became balanced ectomorphs during the later years. The emotionally deprived females followed a trend of being mesomorphic ectomorphs, then balanced ectomorphs and finally endomorphic ectomorphs with the advancing years. On the other hand, the control females initially exhibited equal component ratio, then endomorphic ectomorphy, and finally balanced endomorphy.