The role of geographical isolation in children’s growth

Background Historical evidence highlights links between height and environmental factors, with geographic isolation playing a crucial role. The Kangean Island, one of Indonesia’s small, isolated islands, offers a unique context for research on growth. Objectives The study aims to compare the height of 15-17-year-old girls in Malang, Java, with those of the same age on Kangean. It also compares the height of boys and girls aged 1 month–12 years old from Arjasa and Kangayan locations over two hours away from the port on the Kangean Island. Sample and Methods We studied 2 groups with a total of 393 participants: girls aged 15–17 years from Malang (n=91); and Kangean (n=94), children aged 1 month–12 years from the Kangean Island (n=208); we measured the participants’ height, weight, and BMI, converted them based on the WHO-reference SDS values from 2007, and then analyzed the data using SPSS. Results Compared with Malang, female adolescents on Kangean were shorter (-1.42±0.79 vs. -0.88±0.79, p<0.001), had lower weight (-1.84±1.40 vs. -0.50±1.18, p=0.00), and lower BMI (-0.84±1.29 vs. 0.069±1.02, p<0.001). Kangayan boys were shorter than those in Arjasa (-1.67±1.00 vs. -0.83±1.36; p<0.001), while Kangayan girls were similar to their counterparts in Arjasa. There were no significant differences in weight between all the Kangan and Arjasa groups, but Kangayan’s children had a higher mean BMI-SDS than Arjasa’s (boys: -0.55±1.45 vs. -1.32±1.52; p=0.009; girls: -0.54±0.94 vs. -1.12 ± 1.04; p=0.01). Conclusion Living on a small island and the distance from its port differently affect the growth of children and adolescents.