Kanat Dzhanuzakov; Bilal Demirhan; Akan Bayrakdar; Özkan Isık; Dzhiparkul Abdyrakhmanova & Serdar Geri

This study aimed to investigate the effects of sex and age on morphological characteristics in Kyrgyz children. Conducted in 55 primary schools across Bishkek and Chuy regions, the research included boys and girls aged 8 (n=1215), 9 (n=1211), and 10 (n=879). A total of 3315 children participated, comprising 1662 boys and 1653 girls, as part of a talent screening project endorsed by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education. The study assessed various characteristics, including anthropometric measurements, to analyze differences based on age and sex. Significant differences were observed in height and body weight across all age groups for both sexes (p<0.05). For girls, BMI values showed significant variation across age groups (p<0.01). Body fat percentages also revealed significant differences between ages 8 and 10 (p<0.05), though no significant differences were noted among other age groups. While there were no notable differences in mesomorphy values between sexes, significant differences were found in endomorphy (p<0.01) and ectomorphy (p<0.05) values. Specifically, girls aged 8, 9, and 10 had higher endomorphy values compared to boys (p<0.01). Ectomorphy and mesomorphy characteristics were similar across all age groups for both sexes. Although there were no significant differences in endomorphy and mesomorphy values for girls, notable differences were observed between boys' endomorphy, ectomorphy, and mesomorphy values, and girls' ectomorphy values. This suggests a proportional increase in height, body weight, body fat percentage, and BMI with age in both boys and girls. This study highlights that morphological characteristics, including height, body weight, body fat percentage, and body mass index, develop proportionally with age in Kyrgyz children, with significant differences observed in endomorphy and ectomorphy values between sexes, especially across different age groups.

KEY WORDS: Morphology; Children; Kyrgyzstan.

DZHANUZAKOV, K.; DEMIRHAN, B.; BAYRAKDAR, A.; ISIK, Ö.; ABDYRAKHMANOVA, D. & GERI, S. The impact of sex and age factors on morphological characteristics in children: A case study from Kyrgyzstan. Int. J. Morphol., 43(1):141-147, 2025.