Heights, Weights, and Obesity in Urban School Children

Abstract

A cross-sectional study of heights and weights of a randomized sample of 8,480 Cincinnati schoolchildren was performed in 1963. Tables expressing percentile norms for students 5 through 16 years of age are provided for 4 combinations of race and sex. The Wetzel Grid technique was employed to divide the sample into physique type categories. The preliminary assessment of the occurrence of the obese physique type indicated an obesity incidence of approximately 10 per cent. Comparisons are made with other similar studies from the same continent. A critical evaluation of the Wetzel technique is presented with suggestions for the future direction of research.