Growth patterns of hispanic and caucasian children

Growth of children is a powerful indicator of general health used in clinical evaluations. No studies have examined the growth of Hispanic children under 2 years of age and compared the growth with Caucasian children of the same population. Breast-feeding and its impact on growth in children under 2 years of age are in question, and this study attempted to determine whether or not a difference in growth occurs in breast- and bottle-fed infants and children.

The label Hispanic is a classification that identifies ancestry from a Spanish-speaking country. Racial classification of Hispanics can include White, Asian, Black, and East Indian. In this study, Hispanics were defined as people whose ancestors were from Mexico. The label Caucasian defined the segment of the White race without ancestry from a Spanish-speaking country.

This study examined children from three similar clinics by weighing and measuring them and obtaining information concerning their heritage, family income, and whether they had been breast-fed. Additional data from their medical charts provided measurements on approximately 10% of the sample. A total of 1,026 sets of measurements was collected and analyzed. Over 50 sets of measurements of 2-, 4-, 6-, and 12-month-old children from each sex and origin were collected. Although 24-month-old children were in the study, it was not possible to collect large enough numbers to provide analysis to meet a power of .80.

Before analysis, body mass indexes were computed for each child in the study. Statistical analysis by t-test revealed a significant difference in height in only one age and sex category. Analysis of weight by t-test revealed that Hispanic children were significantly heavier in four categories and had higher body mass indexes in 2 categories. No significant differences were found in the breast- and bottle-fed children in analysis by t-test at the p = .05 level of significance.