The amount and distribution of subcutaneous tissue in Southern Chinese children from Hong Kong

Skinfold thicknesses were measured with a Harpenden caliper on four body regions (triceps, calf, subscapular, and supra-iliac) of 3,975 boys and 3,903 girls of Southern Chinese origin, from 6 to 18 years of age, in Hong Kong. The subjects were classified into high, middle, and low socio-economic groups. Norms of skinfold thicknesses of the four body regions were obtained for each age level. On all dimensions, the girls are significantly larger than the boys of the same age. Socio-economic factors are shown to play an important role in the development of the skinfold tissue — children from higher socio-economic groups tend to have thicker skinfolds than those from the lower groups, and the early adolescent increase-decrease fat cycle is seen most clearly in the high socio-economic boys. It is further shown that socio-economic influence is potent enough to override the difference between the sexes from 6 to 14 years of age, after which even profound socio-economic differences are submerged by sex. Comparisons were made with the norms of British and Japanese children.