Anthropometric indices of First Nations children and youth on first entry to Manitoba/Saskatchewan residential schools—1919 to 1953

Abstract

Background

First Nations people are experiencing increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes but no anthropometric information exists from before the 1950s to provide context to these epidemics.

Objective

To compare anthropometric indices of First Nations children and youth on first entering residential schools with historical and contemporary reference groups.

Methods

This observational cross-sectional study used archival records from the Department of Indian Affairs to calculate body mass index (BMI), height for age (HA) and weight for age (WA) of all known children and youth undergoing physical examinations on first entering residential schools in Saskatchewan and Manitoba from 1919 to 1953. Proportions of children and youth in each BMI category were determined by age, sex, time period and residential school. Z-scores for HA and WA were determined by age group and sex. Finally, median heights and weights were compared with a non-Indigenous cohort from the 1953 Canadian survey.

Results

On admission to residential schools, 1,767 First Nations children and youth (847 boys, 920 girls) were more likely to have normal BMIs (79.8%) than Canadian children and youth today (66.5%), but lower rates of overweight/obesity (10.9% vs. 32.0%) and higher rates of underweight (9.3% vs. <2.0%). There was an overall trend of diminishing levels of underweight and increasing levels of overweight/obesity over time. Although 6.6% of boys and 7.9% of girls had HA Z-scores >−2, age-specific median heights tended to be higher than Canadian children and youth in 1953. Under 3% of children and youth had WA Z-scores of >−2.

Conclusions

A large majority of First Nations children and youth exhibited normal anthropometric indices on first entering residential schools in Manitoba and Saskatchewan from 1919 to 1953. These historical findings provide an important context to the current epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes and suggest that the nutritional conditions in these First Nations children's communities were satisfactory during the residential school era.

• First Nations
• indigenous
• BMI
• children
• youth
• residential school
• diabetes
• obesity
• underweight
• weight for age
• height for age

Three editorials addressing this article have been published, and are available at:

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32591

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32592

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32593

Three editorials addressing this article have been published, and are available at:

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32591

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32592

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32593

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank our Indigenous colleagues who were asked to review our findings and interpretation as we finalized the manuscript. Feedback was uniformly positive and we have added a suggested reference (33) related to the early European settlement of the plains. We also thank Tina Leckie and Diana Fedosoff, who helped to transcribe the data and design the database, respectively. Funding for this research was provided by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation through a New Investigator Establishment and Equipment Grant (PH).

Notes

Three editorials addressing this article have been published, and are available at:

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32591

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32592

http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/view/32593