Abstract

CARTES VELASQUEZ, R  and  NAVARRETE BRIONES, C. Anthropometrics characteristics of adult pehuenche population, nutritional considerations. Alto Biobio, Chile. Mem. Inst. Investig. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2012, vol.10, n.2, pp.30-37. ISSN 1812-9528.

There is a vastly literature about anthropometric parameters in the Chilean indigenous population, however, all of them focuses on children and mapuche people. The aim of this study is to characterize anthropometrically the adult pehuenche population, living at Alto Bio Bio commune, and determine the influence of crossbreeding and generational change over these parameters. This study is a secondary analysis from database of Project "Küme Mongüen Pehuenche", sample comprise 314 adults (56 crossbred and 162 women), the studied variables were: sex, age, ethnicity, weight, height, waist circumference and body mass index (BMI). The overall mean correspond to 70.66 ± 11.87 kg for weight, 1.58 ± 0.08 m for length, 91.37 ± 9.41 cm for waist circumference and 28.15 ± 4.49 kg/m2 for BMI. Weight and height were significantly higher in men, but BMI was in women, there were no other statistically significant differences by ethnicity or age, there is a strong correlation between waist circumference and BMI. The results of this study expose a population characterized by a height below the national average, but above the chilean indigenous population, with a tendency to overweight and obesity, which tends to disappear in older adults, a great uniformity, without changes due to crossbreeding (ethnicity) nor the generational change (age).

Keywords : anthropometry; height; weight; pehuenche; indigenous.

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