Building upon field research between 1968-1979 in the Valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico, this study compares the growth status of school children 6-14 years and the size attained by adults in 1999 with corresponding observations in the same communities in the late 1960s and 1970s. The strength and motor fitness of rural school children in 1999 will also be compared with data from the earlier surveys. Adult stature in 1999 is also compared with earlier surveys done between 1899 and 1960 to provide a 100 year secular perspective for the Valley of Oaxaca. In addition, the growth status, strength and motor fitness of the rural and urban school children in the Valley of Oaxaca in 1999 is compared. The study provides insights into the current growth and health status of the rural and urban public school population in Oaxaca. The analysis of secular change, in the growth status of children between the late 1960s/early 1970s and 1999, and of adult stature over approximately 100 years in the Valley of Oaxaca has implications for the present health status of the population and for social and economic policy. The growth status of children is a good indicator of the overall health and nutritional circumstances in an area. The presence or absence of secular change can also be interpreted in the context of public health and nutritional conditions. Hence, the study addresses important public health concerns in Oaxaca, an area of southern Mexico characterized by relatively poor economic, nutritional and overall health conditions.
