Trends in weight, height, BMI, and obesity in schoolchildren from Santa Rosa (Argentina), 1990-2005/07

ORDEN AB, BUCCI PJ, PETRONE S

ANNALS OF HUMAN BIOLOGY

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2013 vol. 40 p. 348 - 354

0301-4460

Aim: To assess secular changes in physical growth and the current prevalence and trend of overweight/obesity in Argentinian schoolchildren. Subjects and methods: One thousand and forty-nine schoolchildren aged 6 and 12 years attending schools in 1990 were compared with an age-matched sample of 935 boys and girls collected between 2005?2007. Changes in weight, height and BMI by age between the surveys were analysed using one-way analysis of variance. Overweight and obesity were defined according to IOTF criteria and compared by Chi-squared test. Odds ratios (OR) and intervals of confidence (95% CI) were also calculated. Results: Six and 12 year-old boys and girls were significantly heavier (1.2?3.2 kg) and had higher BMIs (0.7?1.0 kg/m2) in 2005?2007 than in 1990. Significant differences in height were seen in 6 year old boys (1.5 cm) and 12 year old girls (1.3 cm). Overweight and obesity increased by 4.4% (OR¼1.4, 1.1?1.8) and 5.9% (OR¼4.3, 2.8?6.5), respectively; obesity being higher in younger children. Conclusion: The disharmonic secular change in weight and height has led to high overweight/obesity. The obesity increase is consistent with global and regional trends, indicating a shift in BMI distribution, especially at the higher centiles.