Spinal bone mineral density in 335 normal and obese children and adolescents: Evidence for ethnic and sex differences

David P. Mccormick, Stephen W. Ponder, H. Daniel Fawcett, Judy L. Palmer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

128 Scopus citations

Abstract

Spinal bone mineral density (BMD) and anthropometric measures were studied in 312 nonobese and 23 obese black, white, and Hispanic children and adolescents age 5.00–18.99 years. In adolescents BMD correlated with age, weight, height, fat‐free density, body mass index, and midarm circumference. Utilizing the entire group of 312 nonobese subjects, mean Z scores were calculated for comparison versus reference subgroups for bone mineral density index (BMDI, BMD/weight). BMDI was greater for black than for white and Hispanic children and adolescents across all ages studied. Female adolescents accumulated spinal mineral more rapidly than male adolescents. Black males had greater mineral than white and Hispanic males. Differences in BMDI between subgroups could not be explained by differences in body weight or spinal vertebral size. BMDI proved a more sensitive measure for comparing subgroups than did BMD. The study provides normative data and a quantitative methodology for analyzing differences in spinal mineral between groups of children and adolescents.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)507-513
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Bone and Mineral Research
Volume6
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1991
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Spinal bone mineral density in 335 normal and obese children and adolescents: Evidence for ethnic and sex differences'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this