AGE-DIFFERENCES IN SOMATOTYPES OF GARHWALI MALES 17-60 YEARS OF AGE

Changes in somatotype with age were investigated in a cross-sectional sample of 400 Garhwali men from northwest India. The subjects, 17-60 y ears of age, were somatotyped with the Heath-Carter anthropometric pro tocol. The overall mean somatotype was 3.0-3.7-3.1. A one-way MANOVA i ndicated significant differences among the nine age groups. Pairwise c omparisons using Hotelling's T-2 showed significant differences betwee n men up to 29 years and those over 30 years. Garhwali men 30+ years o f age were more endomorphic and less ectomorphic than younger men. The mean somatotype for men 30+ years was 3.3-3.9-2.7 and for men <30 yea rs was 2.8-3.3-3.9. Endomorphy and mesomorphy increased with age with a reciprocal decrease in ectomorphy up to 55 years; the trend was some what reversed thereafter. The somatotype categories mesomorphic ectomo rph and mesomorph-ectomorph included the greatest proportion of Garhwa li men <30 years; maximum percentages of men 30+ years belonged to the mesomorph-endomorph, endomorphic mesomorph and mesomorphic endomorph categories. Garhwali men were more ectomorphic and less endomorphic an d mesomorphic than Canadians. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.