Growth status of Mexican American children and youths: Historical trends and contemporary issues

The growth status of Mexican American children and youths is reviewed in a historical perspective that begins in the 1920s. The early studies were more concerned with growth status as an indicator of undernutrition and associated growth stunting, while the more recent studies have overnutrition and excess fatness as a primary focus. Evidence from recent studies suggests a relatively large number of short but heavy Mexican American children and youths. The growth status of Mexican American children and youths is then discussed in the context of socioeconomic variation; the relationship between weight for stature or the body mass index and body proportions; skinfolds, body composition, and fat patterning; secular trends; and recent national health surveys including the National Health and Nutrition Examination surveys and the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.