ANTHROPOMETRIC AND MOTOR CHARACTERISTICS OF SENEGALESE CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT NUTRITIONAL HISTORIES

The effects of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) on the motor performa nce of 4.5-6.5-year-old Senegalese children were studied. Body dimensi ons included weight, lengths, circumferences, and four skinfolds. Moto r performance tests included a 3-min endurance run, 4 x 10 m shuttle-r un, distance throw, standing long jump and grip strength. The sample c onsisted of 147 children: 52 children who were hospitalized for severe undernutrition (severe UN group) during infancy but who had been nutr itionally rehabilitated; 63 children who were never severely malnouris hed but who were chronically exposed to mild-to-moderate undernutritio n up to the time of study (chronic UN group); and 32 well nourished ch ildren (well nourished group) from well-off households. After adjustin g for sex and age, the well nourished group performed better than the severe UN and chronic UN groups. Principal components analysis resulte d in two factors which explained 65% of the variance in anthropometry and motor performance. One was related to body sire and the second to body composition. The three nutritional groups differed significantly in principal component scores for the two factors; chronic UN and seve re UN children also differed for the second factor. Body composition, especially low fat mass appeared to be an important feature for motor performance in chronically undernourished children.