Document Type
Article
Abstract
Anthropometric measurements were made and physical examinations were carried out among Athapaskan Indians at Upper Liard and Ross River, Yukon Territories, and at six reserves near Ft. St. John, British Columbia, Canada. Among children and adolescents, there was a tendency for heights and weights to fall off with increasing age, relative to non-Indian standards. Skeletal age was somewhat retarded among adolescent males, in relation to chronological age. Adults were short, compared to non-Indian standards but similar in height to other British Columbia Indian populations studied. Body weights of males at the three locations were similar, but Ross River women were lighter than women at Upper Liard or Ft. St. John. The distribution of triceps skinfold thicknesses was consistent with the distribution of body weights. The anthropometric data are consistent with a pattern of moderate growth retardation during adolescence, accompanied by a normal rate of skeletal maturation, resulting in relatively short adults. Few physical signs indicative of nutritional deficiencies were observed at the three locations and even these were nonspecific. The physical examinations support the previously published biochemical findings, which fail to reveal evidence of inadequate nutrient intakes. The results of the anthropometric measurements and physical examinations are discussed in relation to the relative degree of isolation of Indian populations in western Canada.
Recommended Citation
Lee, Melvin and Birkbeck, J A.
(1977)
"Anthropometric Measurements and Physical Examinations of Indian Populations from British Columbia and the Yukon Territories, Canada,"
Human Biology:
Vol. 49:
Iss.
4, Article 6.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol49/iss4/6
