The aim was to estimate the contribution of genetic factors in the skinfold (SF) patterning of children and adolescents from Mozambique. Six SF were measured, and seven phenotypes were derived: Σ6SF, ΣSF from the trunk, ΣSF from the extremities, the ΣSF trunk/extremities ratio (TER), first, second and third principal components. Heritability (h²) and correlations (r) in sibships were calculated using the ASSOC and FCOR modules of the SAGE 5.3 Genetic Epidemiology software. The h² was high for TER (65%) and the third principal component (50%); moderate for Σ6SF (48%), ΣSF from the extremities (45%), ΣSF from the trunk (42%), and the second and third principal components (39% and 33% respectively). Overall, r-values were moderate in same-gender sibships (0.21 to 0.44), and low in sibships of different gender (-0.02 to 0.18). In conclusion, genetic factors explain 33 to 65% of the total variance in different SF patterning phenotypes. Same-gender siblings showed greater familial aggregation in fat patterning than did opposite-gender siblings.
Adiposity; Genetics; Mozambique
