The use of discriminant analysis to define obesity in children aged 7–11 years

SummaryAll the elementary schoolchildren (ages 7–11 years) in the city of Aosta were diagnosed clinically for obesity and measured for height, weight and triceps and subscapular skinfolds. A statistical discriminant analysis revealed that, on the basis of these measurements, this population of children could be divided into a group of normal children and one or more distinct populations of obese children. To the extent that these groups reveal qualitative phenotypic differences, they should simplify genetic studies of obesity.