Analysis of Body Composition of 9- and 10-Year-Old Children in Latvia

Helena Karklina,Dzanna Krumina,Gundega Knipse,Dzintars Mozgis,Liga Kalnina,Melita Sauka,Peteris Apinis

doi:10.3390/medicina47100082

Helena Karklina, Dzanna Krumina + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina47100082

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Journal: Medicina	Publication Date: Nov 5, 2011
Citations: 4	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Riga Stradiņš University

Abstract

According to the data of epidemiologic research, the prevalence of both excessive and insufficient body weight is increasing in a pediatric population leading to the growing burden of health problems due to these changes. The aim of the study was to understand the current situation of physical development of 9- and 10-year-old boys and girls in Latvia and to estimate the prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity among young adolescents. During 2007-2009, a random sample of healthy 9-year-old (n=184) and 10-year-old (n=320) children from all regions and different socioeconomic groups of Latvia was surveyed in a cross-sectional study. The anthropometric measurements of height, weight, (3) circumferences, and 5 skinfolds were performed. The percentage of body fat was calculated by the equation of Slaughter et al. Body mass index and fat mass index were calculated for each respondent. Children were divided into groups according to these indexes. At the age of 9 years, 69.5% of boys had a normal nutritional level either by BMI or FMI, and 54.5% and 72.2% of the girls of the same age had a normal nutritional level by BMI and by FMI, respectively. Obesity according to BMI in 9-year-old boys was found to be 4.7% and in girls 6.1%; according to FMI, 3.7% and 2.3%, respectively. A similar trend was also observed in the cohort of 10-year-old children. The results of the research showed that the problem of high prevalence of Latvian children with underweight is not smaller than the problem of children with obesity. Evaluation of physical development in children based only body mass index may lead to overdiagnosis of obesity.

Highlights

The ongoing epidemic of obesity in children has highlighted the importance of elevated amount of body fat for short-term and long-term health outcomes [1]
Evaluation of physical development in children based only body mass index may lead to overdiagnosis of obesity
The mean values for body mass index (BMI) were found to be slightly greater in boys than girls, and the mean values for fat mass (FM) percentage, FM, and FMI were greater in girls, but these differences did not reach statistical significance

Summary

Introduction

The ongoing epidemic of obesity in children has highlighted the importance of elevated amount of body fat for short-term and long-term health outcomes [1]. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased 3 times during the last 3 decades [2]. This is considered one of the crucial health problems nowadays [3, 4]. According to the WHO Child Growth Standards and the normative acts on children’s physical development established in Latvia, the values of BMI below the 3rd percentile indicate critically low nutrition or thinness, while values above the 97th percentile indicate obesity [9, 10]. As body mass is composed of both FM and FFM, the elevated values of BMI do not state clearly whether FM or FFM has increased [11]. The circumferences of body depend on FM, muscle mass, and bone structure; the last two are directly proportional to FFM [12, 13]

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