GEOGRAPHICAL ALTITUDE AND RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX AND BODY FAT IN JUJUY SCHOOL CHILDREN

ROMÁN E, CARRILLO R, BEJARANO IF, ALFARO EL, DIPIERRI JE

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 50° Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Investigación Pediátrica (SLAIP); 2012

Sociedad Latinoamericana de Investigación pediátrica

Background: BMI is the most widely used indicator for estimating nutritional condition because of its relationship with the percentage of body fat (BF%). Objective: We compared the BF% (calculated using different equations) with BMI in children and adolescents from different altitude levels in Jujuy. Methods: We analyzed anthropometric data from 2670 school children (6-17 years) stratified by geographical altitude: Lowlands (LL) ( 2500 m). The BF% was calculated from skinfolds using Siri and Slaughter equations, and BMI with Deuremberg equation. We used the Spearman test to evalaute correlation between BF% and BMI using SPSS software. Results: All comparisons were statistically significant and positive. In the Lowlands (LL) the correlation coefficient obtained with Deuremberg?s equation was the highest (0.971), followed by Slaughter (0.641) and Siri (0.433); results in the Highlands (HL) were similar. Values obtained with Deuremberg?s equation must be carefully interpreted because that equation derives from BMI. Using the other equations that take into account the skin folds, although correlations are statistically significant, only explain 18% (Siri) and 41% (Slaughther) of the variation in BMI. Conclusion: BMI shows the same correlation with BF% regardless of geographic altitude. These results verified studies in other populations, indicating that BMI is an insensitive indicator of changes in adiposity in children and adolescents. Funding: PICTO 2008-00139, ANPCyT, Argentina