A STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BONE MATURATION SCORES AND NUTRITION INDEXES

Abstract

This study was to examine the relationship between bone maturation scores and the nutrition indexes, and to consider the estimated range for the evaluation of bone maturation scores. This study investigated the relationship between the bone maturation scores and the nutrition indexes of compound variables of height, body weight and sitting height, by the correlation coefficients in eleven items and used them as raw data for analysis.
The obtained results were as follows
1. The correlation coefficients between the nutrition indexes and bone maturation scores (Middle Phalanges) showed that in the second sexual period boys were significance at the level 0.05 in all the Rohrer, Kaup and Kawahata indexes. Each of them were as follows : Rohrer index 0.325, Kaup index 0.415, Kawahata index 0.485. In the girls also the correlation coefficients showed significance between the Rohrer, Kaup, and Kawahata indexes of all three phalanges scores, especially in correlation with the Middle Phalanges scores : Rohrer index 0.458, Kaup index 0.540, Kawahata index 0.424.
2. If the bone maturation scores are evaluated by the three nutrition indexes, it may be estimated that the bone maturation scores are evaluated by the Middle Phalanges scores for both boys and girls.
Regression Equations and the Standard Error (SE.) of estimate are as follows
Rohrer Index ; Boys : Y=12.42+0.75X, S.E.=±0.15
Girls : Y=10.00+1.55X, S.E.=±0.38
Kaup Index ; Boys : Y=10.48+0.62X, S.E.=±0.21
Girls : Y=8.23+1.13X, S.E.=±0.35
Kawahata Index ; Boys : Y=10.47+1.82X, S.E.=±0.21
Girls : Y=12.08+2.66X, S.E.=±0.29
note : X (nutrition indexes) Y (bone maturation scores)
3. The S.E, of estimated scores in bone maturation scores which were obtained by using each the nutrition index scores of the estimate equations were very small and the results of t-Test in the means of estimated scores and the means of actual measurement showed hardly any significant difference at the level 0.01. According to these results the estimate equations used here were considered to be of higher reliability.
4. The bone maturation scores were compared with the two groups, good and poor, classified by the nutrition indexes. In the case of the boys there was no significant difference in the Rohrer index.
But according to the Kaup and Kawahata indexes there were significant differences in each part of the bone except for the Proximal Phalanges scores. In the girls there were equally significant differences in all three nutrition indexes of the good-poor groups.
From the results found in this study, the nutrition indexes may by considered as an index to estimate the bone maturation scores, at least, of junior high school students in growing period.