Evaluation of nutritional status of children aged 7-12 in terms of overweight and obesity.

Background: The occurrence of overweight and obesity in childhood promote many diseases, causing complications both in childchood and in adulthood.
Objective: The aim of study was to evaluate body mass index (BMI) of children aged 7-12 from primary schools in Siedlce (city in Poland) and determining the risk of obesity in this group.
Material and Methods: Subjects were 450 primary school children aged 7-12 years living in Siedlce, studied between 2017-2018, and consisted of 269 (59.7%) girls and 181 boys (40.3%). The BMIs were determined and total body composition was measured by a SC-240 Analyzer. Result were compared with percentile grids elaborated in the OLAF study.
Results: The average BMI for 7-year-olds was 16.6, (16.8 for girls, c50=15.6 and 16.2 for boys, c50=15.8), whilst for 12-year-olds they were 19.0, (19.7 for girls, c50=18 and 19.1 for boys, c50=18). Despite 70.2% of average BMI values being correct, individually abnormal clusters were observed within the girl and boy grouping. We found that 5.8% children were underweight (6.7% girls and 4.4% boys), whilst 16.7% were overweight (19.7% girls and 12.1% boys), and those obese were 7.3% (8.2% girls and 6.1% boys).
Conclusions: The BMI to height ratio was found to be correct in most subjects, nevertheless it was 12% higher in boys than girls. Abnormal BMIs were found in 1/3 of children, wherein overweight and obesity were more frequent than those being underweight. Excessive body mass was found in 24% of all children, with the highest rates being in 9-year-old girls (30.2%) and 12-year-old boys (29.4%). It is necessary to constantly monitor the BMI among school children.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
(© Copyright by the National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene)