A cross-sectional study employing multistage cluster sampling was conducted on 558 Bengali schoolboys (aged 8 to 16 years) from rural Tripura to analyze how their somatotypes change during adolescence. Using the Heath-Carter method based on ten anthropometric measurements, the Bengali boys’ body physiques were assessed and plotted on a somatotype chart. The findings indicated a slight overall increase in endomorph (0.1 units) and ectomorph (0.5 units), coupled with a minor decrease in mesomorph (0.4 units) over the nine years. The dominant physique shifted from mesomorph-ectomorph in younger boys (8 to 12 years) to mesomorphic-ectomorph in older adolescents (13 years onwards). While mesomorph generally declined with age, endomorph increased until age 11 and ectomorph until age 13, after which these trends showed some reversal. The average somatotype of these boys was mesomorph-ectomorph (2.09-3.78-4.33), suggesting a predominantly ectomorphic build. As compared to other populations of India, the Bengali boys are less endomorphic and more mesomorphic.
Bengali boys, Ectomorphic, Heath Carter’s method, Somatotype, Tripura
. Age-Related Changes in Somtotype Among Bengali Boys in Tripura. Indian Journal of Modern Research and Reviews. 2025; 3(5):17-22
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