Comparative Study of Chest Muscle Circumference of Anthropometry Characteristics Among Tribal And Non-Tribal Sportsmen of Goa with Reference to Age Groups

Abstract: Anthropometric characteristics play a vital role in determining physical fitness and sports performance. Among these characteristics, chest muscle circumference reflects upper body muscular development and respiratory efficiency. The present study aimed to compare chest muscle circumference between tribal and non-tribal sportsmen of Goa with reference to two age groups (21-25 years and 26-30 years). A total of 100 male sportsmen were selected for the study, comprising 50 tribal and 50 non-tribal players from different sports disciplines in Goa. The subjects were further categorized into two age groups. Chest muscle circumference was measured using a standard steel measuring tape following accepted anthropometric procedures. The collected data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and independent t-test to determine the significance of differences between groups. The findings of the study revealed that non-tribal sportsmen demonstrated slightly higher mean values of chest muscle circumference compared to tribal sportsmen in both age groups; however, the differences were not statistically significant at the 0.05 level of significance. The results suggest that participation in sports activities contributes to similar levels of muscular development among both tribal and non-tribal athletes regardless of age category. The study highlights that sports training and physical activity may minimize anthropometric differences between different ethnic groups.

Keywords: Anthropometry, Tribal athletes, Non-tribal athletes, Chest muscle circumference, Age groups, Sports science