The Influence of Parents’ Education on Growth Pattern of Children Aged 5-12 Years From Kazaure Emirate, Jigawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Anthropometry is defined as the measurements of different parts of the body and is widely used in surveys as an indicator of nutritional and health status. Studies revealed that large number of socio-economic variables are associated with the physical development of children. These variables consist of parental profession, income, education, birth order, family size, and urbanization. Materials used for the study were Stadiometer, non-elastic measuring tape, Skin fold caliper. The study involved a cross-sectional survey comprising of 863 pupils randomly selected from public primary schools in Kazaure emirate. The subjects were noted for sex and age. A stadiometer was used to measure height to the nearest 0.1 cm and weight to the nearest 0.5 kg. A non-elastic measuring tape was used for the measurement of head, neck, chest, mid upper arm, hip, waist and calf circumferences to the nearest 0.1cm respectively. A Harpenden skin fold caliper was used for the measurement of biceps and triceps skin fold thicknesses to the nearest 0.1 mm respectively. The study participants were apparently healthy public primary school pupils aged between 5 - 12years, from Kazaure Emirate and ofHausa ethnic group (parents and grandparents are Hausa). Based on lack of parents’ formal education, males had higher values of neck circumference (NC) and chest circumference (CTC) than females with statistical difference at p<0.05. However,females had higher values ofcephalic index (CI) than males with statistical difference at p<0.05.Based on the level of education of parents (primary, secondary and tertiary education), males had higher values of height (HT), weight (WT), BMI, head circumference (HDC), NC, CTC, waist circumference (WC) and calf circumference (CC) than females with statistical difference at p<0.05. However, females showed higher mean values of triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) and hip circumference (HC) than males with statistical difference at p<0.05. Males had higher values ofhead length (HDL), head breadth (HDB), facial length (FL) and facial breadth (FB) than females with statistical difference at p<0.05. Conversely, females showed higher mean value ofcephalic index (CI) than males with statistical difference at p<0.05.
Males had higher values of right humerus length (RHML), left humerus length LHML), right ulna length (RUL), left ulna length (LUL), right radial length (RRL), left radial length (LRL), right hand length (RHNL), left hand length (LHNL), right hand breadth (RHNB) and left hand breadth (LHNB) than females with statistical difference at p<0.05. Males had higher values of right tibial length (RTBL), left tibial length (LTBL), right fibula length (RFBL), left fibula length (LFBL), right foot length (RFTL), left foot length (LFTL), right foot breadth (RFTB) and left foot breadth (LFTB) than females with statistical difference at p<0.05.