Body build indices derived from height (H) and weight (W) as the form of W/Hp were assessed for suitability or validity in children. Approximately 8, 000 schoolboys and girls aged 6 to 17 years living in northern Kyushu were analyzed. The ideal power of p was determined according to a general consensus that the best body build index shows the lowest correlation with height and the highest correlation with fatness. Based on allometry, it was found that girls have two critical points where the power of p should change, that is, at the height of 135 and 150cm corresponding to mean ages of 9.9 years and 14.2 years, respectively. On the other hand, correlation coefficients of W/H, the QUETELET index, and the ROHRER index (using the most common form of W/Hp) with height and skinfold thickness were compared. From a practical point of view, results showed in general that the best body build index for boys and girls was the ROHRER index although, in the strict sense, the QUETELET index was preferable for preand post-puberscent girls. In addition, interrelationships of various kinds of body build indices were examined.
The Journal of the Anthropological Society of Tokyo