Body fat distribution in Italian, Spanish and Estonian children

Abstract

Obesity, and especially abdominal obesity, is associated with increased risk of a number of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Many disturbances related to abdominal obesity show their onset in the childhood years. Thus, during these years, it’s important to properly monitor body fat and its distribution. The aim of this study was to investigate the fat patterning in Italian, Estonian and Spanish schoolchildren. The sample consisted of 2024 children (1005 boys and 1019 girls) aged 6 to 11 years. Anthropometric measurements included triceps, biceps, subscapular, supraspinal, suprailiac, thigh, medial and lateral calf skinfold thicknesses, height and humerus width. Two indices of central adiposity and one frame index were calculated. Italian children of both sexes showed higher values of skinfold thicknesses than Estonian and Spanish children, while Spanish children showed overall higher values of central adiposity indexes, followed by Italian children. On the contrary, Estonian children showed higher values of the frame index and lower central adiposity. From a public health perspective, a priority will be the development of programs aiming to prevent obesity, in particular when a central pattern of fat distribution emerges during childhood.