REFERENCE DATA FOR ARM MUSCLE AND ARM ADIPOSE-TISSUE AREAS IN MEXICAN-AMERICANS FROM THE HISPANIC HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY (HHANES 1982-1984) - COMPARISONS WITH WHITES AND BLACKS FROM NHANES-II (1976-1980)

Data for arm muscle area (AMA) and arm adipose tissue area (AATA) from 3695 Mexican American children 6 months to 18 years of age included i n HHANES (1982-1984) were used to obtain age- and gender-specific mean s and selected percentiles. These statistics were compared with those for non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black children from NHANES II (1976-1980). In comparison with non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic bl ack children, the Mexican American children tended to have smaller mea ns and percentile values for AMA but larger values for AATA. There was considerable sexual dimorphism in AMA and AATA. Within each populatio n, boys tended to have larger means and percentile values for AMA than girls, and girls tended to have larger values for AATA than boys. Wit hin each population of boys, there was a prepubescent gain in AATA, fo llowed by a midpubescent loss, and then an increase near the middle of the second decade. This ''fat wave'' pattern was not noticeable in gi rls. Population differences in age- and der-specific mean values for A MA and AATA were small. Few statistically significant differences were observed; these were no more common than would occur by chance, There fore, population-specific reference data for AMA and AATA may not be n eeded for the clinical evaluation of Mexican Americans, non-Hispanic b lacks, and non-Hispanic whites. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.