GROWTH OF YOUNG NOMADIC AND SETTLED TURKANA CHILDREN

Growth patterns of Turkana nomadic children (N = 333) and settled schoolchildren (N = 280) aged 4 to 9 years were compared. The objective was to assess effects of a sedentary life‐style on the growth patterns of Turkana children. Settled children with institutional food support tended to be larger at all ages than nomadic children in most measures of size and body composition. At age 9 years, settled children were 7.5 cm taller than the nomads. Weight, calf circumference, and skinfolds were also larger in settled children, but the proportional differences were less; arm circumferences were roughly equivalent. Only a small fraction of settled Turkana children (including those measured in the present study) attend schools where food is provided. Further studies of nonsupple‐mented settled Turkana children are needed to clarify relationships among subsistence, nutritional status, and child growth processes. 1990 American Anthropological Association