Height of Chilean parents and their children, from different ethnicity andsocial status.

Objective. To analyze and compare the heights of first-year school children and their parents, according to: ethnic background and socioeconomic statu s. Material and methods. This is a cross-sectional study of indigenous and non-indigenous school children and their parents, belonging to three levels of social vulnerability: very high (poverty), medium, and very low. An ind igenous school child was defined as any child having all four parental surn ames of Mapuche origin; non-indigenous were those having Hispanic parental surname. Height: was compared using Z scores, using;WHO nutritional change reference values. Statistical analysis consisted in comparing differences o f mean heights between parents and their children. Differences were assesse d using Scheffe's method. Results. Improvement in socioeconomic conditions was associated with increasing mean parental height (p<0.001), except for i ndigenous mothers, who showed no height increase. Fathers from highly impov erished counties were 4 cm shorter than those living in very low vulnerabil ity areas; height differences reached 2 cm among mothers (p<0.001). Indigen ous school children showed a positive height gradient with improving socioe conomic conditions (p<0.001). This was not observed among non-indigenous ch ildren. When comparing parental height with children's height, children had a better height/age ratio than their parents (p<0.01). This was specially evident among indigenous school children,who had on average 1.4 Z scores mo re than their parents. Conclusions. The upward height gradient related to i mproved social conditions, and the better height/age ratio seen in children in comparison to their parents, regardless their ethnic background and lev el of social vulnerability, is encouraging and suggests that interventions directed to the poorest groups, including the indigenous population, must b e carried out.