Background: Multivariate distance analysis of growth is a combined measure of all body measurements put together and examine their changes during the growth period. To understand the combined effect of growth of all body dimensions and to examine their changes during growth period, multivariate analysis on the data is very useful.
Aims and objectives: To perform multivariate distance analysis on the basis of growth differentiation during pre-adolescence period among the Ladiya of Madhya Pradesh, India. To compare the present findings with other similar studies.
Material and Methods: Data consists of a cross-sectional sample of 411 Ladiya children (201 boys and 210 girls) aged 6-12 years from Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh.Children were measured for stature, weight, head length, head breadth, zygomatic breadth, nasal height, nasal breadth, morphological facial height, physiognomic facial height and head circumference. Four formulae viz, mean multivariate distance (MMD), co-efficient of percent growth (CPG), co-efficient of standardized growth (CSG) and t-distance (TD) were calculated for multivariate distance analysis.
Results: Pre-adolescent growth spurt occurred between 11-12 years among the Ladiya boys and girls.
Conclusion: Findings of this study do not support the findings from other parts of India. And multivariate distance analysis emerge no definite trend of pre-adolescent growth among the Ladiya. Genetic as well as environmental factors may be responsible as paraphernalia for pre- adolescence growth differentiation in this population.