Trends in BMI by Age Periods of Pupils with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Childhood obesity is becoming increasingly important in children because it occurs in earlier age periods. Children with intellectual disabilities belong to a high-risk group in the area of obesity. Their disability limits them in everyday life both in the possibilities of participation in physical activities and in the field of lifestyle. Currently, there is not real data in BMI age trends for children with intellectual disabilities. The aim of the research is to find out the trends of BMI in children with mild and moderate intellectual disability in different age periods and to find out whether summer holidays have an effect in BMI trend in some age periods. The methods used were quantitative and comparative research. BMI indicators were mea-sured using an In-Body machine. T-test was used to identify statistically significant differ-ences between periods. Trends were measured in children aged 6–20 years (the number of participants in each measurement: n = 49, n = 55, n = 56, n = 55) in over two years in the region Zlín in the Czech Republic. Trends are evaluated using box charts. The conclusion is that the trend of BMI of school-age pupils is positively accelerating, summer holidays have no affect BMI values. The BMI trend in pubescence pupils is fluctuating with a decrease in BMI values during the summer holidays. The BMI trend in adolescence pupils is convex, summer holidays have no effect on BMI values. BMI trends of all ages are within the normal weight. Astatistically significant difference in BMI is only for pupils of school age between September 2017 and June 2018. It is beneficial finding for practice that children with intellectual disability in the Czech Republic have much better results in BMI indicators and trends than children with intellectual disability in abroad.