Heath-Carter of Miao-nationality student aged 8 to 16

Objective: To approach the character of the somatotype of the aboriginal Miao primary and high school students in Longlin,Guangxi Province. Methods: The Heath-Carter somatotype method was applied to study the somatotype of Miao students (454 males, 360 females) with age ranging from 8 to 16 in Ronglin country of Guangxi. Results: (1)The mean somatotype of male students was balanced mesomorph category(1.9-4.1-2.3), while that of females was endomorphic mesomoph category (2.8-3.8-2.0);(2)For male students aged 8-16, the value of mesomorph and ectomorph was significantly increased with age, and that of the endomorph was slightly reduced. (3)For the female students, the value of ectomorph decreased with age except for the group aged over 10. And the value of endomorph and mesomorph increased significantly, but reduced at the age of 15 and 16. (4)Each group had significant sexual difference in the somatotype except the group aged 8,9 or above. The somatotype of male students distributed concentratively, but that of the females distributed dispersively. Conclusion: Compared with the other nationalities, the Miao students has less fat and are shorter in stature.