Body composition of rural and urban children from the central region of Spain

The Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on the Body Characteristics, Proportion, and Health Behavior of Children Aged 6-12 Years

BACKGROUND

The research aimed to determine how socioeconomic factors influence the body structure and health behaviors of children in a suburban commune.

METHODS

Data from 376 children aged 6.78 to 11.82 years from Jabłonna, Poland, were analyzed. A questionnaire was used to gather information regarding the socioeconomic status and dietary habits of these children, and physical measurements such as height, weight, pelvic width, shoulder width, chest, waist, hip, and arm circumferences, and three skinfolds were taken. Hip index, pelvi-acromial index, Marty's index, BMI (body mass index), WHR (waist-hip ratio), and the sum of three skinfolds were calculated. One-way analysis of variance, Student's t-test, and X2 test with p < 0.05 were used.

RESULTS

The size of the family and the level of education and occupation of the fathers had a significant impact on the body proportions of the children. Children from larger centers with more educated parents were seen to have healthier eating habits and higher levels of physical activity, and their parents were less likely to smoke cigarettes.

CONCLUSIONS

It was concluded that the development environment of the parents, such as their level of education and profession, play a more important role than the size of birthplace.

Fat and fat-free mass in Nepalese children: an assessment of nutritional status

The aims of the present study were to determine the body composition and to assess the nutritional status on the basis of body composition parameters in Nepalese children. Body fat percentage (BF%), fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM) of 1,988 (1,016 boys and 972 girls) Nepalese children aged 6 to 10 years were calculated from triceps and subscapular skinfolds. FM and FFM were then divided by height-squared in meter to determine the fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI), respectively. Growth curves of BF% and FFM for Nepalese children remained at a low level compared to international data. BF%, FM, and FMI of Nepalese girls were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than Nepalese boys, whereas FFM and FFMI of Nepalese boys were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than Nepalese girls of all age groups. BF%, FM, and FFM were significantly correlated with almost all anthropometric parameters in both sexes. Growth curves of BF% and FFM showed that the undernutrition prevailed in Nepalese children. BF% and FFM were good indicators for measuring nutritional status in Nepalese children. Sexual dimorphism of fat patterning was present in Nepalese children.