Aboriginal kids in remote areas smaller than city peers
24 January 2003
Indigenous children living in remote areas are shorter and weigh less than their peers living in the city, research shows.
Follow-up of 482 Aboriginal children living in the Top End of the Northern Territory showed children aged 8-14 years living in rural communities were, on average, 5 cm shorter and 7 kg lighter, and had a lower body mass index and lower haemoglobin levels than those living in Darwin-Palmerston (Medical Journal of Australia 2003; 178: 56-60).
(Body mass index (BMI) is your weight in kg divided by your height in metres squared. People with obesity will have a higher BMI. Haemoglobin is a substance in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. A low haemoglobin level can indicate an iron deficient diet.)
The children in remote communities also had substantially more visible infections. However, blood pressure (diastolic), LDL-cholesterol (so-called 'bad' cholesterol) and blood glucose did not differ.
Last Reviewed: 23 January 2003
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 24/01/03
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