Nutritional status and dietary habits of urban and rural Polish adolescents

The aim of this work was to compare the basic food ingredient level and some nutritional status indices between the two groups of adolescents: the first one from the urban environment and the other one from the rural environment. A series of tests were conducted on a 400-teenager-group (200 girls and 200 boys), which was divided into two age groups: 10.5-year-olds and 13.5-year-olds. Nutritional status was estimated on the basis of the following anthropometric measurements: body height, body mass index, upper arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness. Food intake was assessed by means of a 24-h dietary recall. The analysis of the results of the investigation showed: rare overweight and obesity occur in rural children aged 10.5 years and a higher risk of undernutrition among rural children, especially boys; more frequent overweight and obesity in rural girls and urban boys aged 13.5 years; a lower protein consumption, especially animal protein, and a lower percentage of the accomplishment of the norm for many mineral components and vitamins in rural girls and boys.     

Growth and nutritional status of the Bharia--a primitive tribe of Madhya Pradesh

This study is an attempt to understand the physical growth and nutritional status of Bharia, a primitive tribe of Central India. A cross sectional study was conducted on 551 children (283 boys and 268 girls) aged 4 to 18 years. Body weight, height, sitting height, head circumference, upper arm circumference, chest circumference, biceps, triceps, sub scapular and calf skin fold thickness were measured. Body Mass Index was calculated as weight/height2 to calculate chronic energy deficiency. All anthropometric measurements except skin fold measurement exhibit uniform increase with age in both the sexes. Age-specific Body Mass Index (BMI) indicated substantial changes and falls during pre-school age and rise in adolescence. The BMI according to the Indian standard was normal, but when the data was compared with the International standard malnutrition in both sexes was noticed in childhood. Boys remained undernourished after adolescence, while girls reached the normal growth patterns.     

Obesity and Malnutrition in a Shantytown Population in the City of São Paulo,Brazil

To investigate the prevalence of obesity and malnutrition in the poor Brazilian population we conducted a survey on the socioeconomic and nutritional status of 535 families (comprising 2 411 individuals) living in shanty towns in the city of São Paulo. There was a 30% prevalence of malnutrition in the children, with chronic malnutrition as the most predominant problem. The prevalence of obesity was 6.4% in boys and 8.7% in girls. Overweight and obesity associated with stunting was found in 5.8% of boys and 6.8% girls. Adolescents showed a higher prevalence of malnutrition when weight-for-age distribution was used (boys 46.4%, girls 40.2%), but a right deviation in the distribution was observed with an increase in obesity and a decrease of malnutrition was observed (obesity was 21% in girls and 8.8% in boys; malnutrition was 15.5% in boys and 12.6% in girls) when the weight-for-height adjustment was made. Stunting was the most predominant type of malnutrition in both sexes. Obesity associated with stunting was more common than obesity without stunting, both in younger children and adolescents. Adults had a higher prevalence of obesity than malnutrition according to both the Metropolitan Life Insurance tables (1.7% of undernutrition, 16.7% of overweight, and 14.1% of obesity) and Body Mass Index (8.5% of undernutrition, 21.9% of overweight, and 14.6% of obesity). There was an increase in the percentage of obese children when at least one adult in the family was obese and an increased percentage of malnourished children when undernourished adults were present in the family. Obesity among the adults of the family decreased the occurrence of malnutrition among the children. In 9% of families there was a coexistence of obesity in the adults and malnutrition in the children. These results demonstrate a coexistence of malnutrition and obesity in poor urban Brazilian communities.     

Nutritional assessment by mid-upper arm circumference of santal adults of Purulia, West Bengal, India

The present community based cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of undernutrition using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) among adult (> 18 years) Santals of Purulia District, West Bengal, India. It was undertaken at 10 villages of the district. A total of 520 (217 males and 303 females) subjects were measured. Commonly used indicator i.e., MUAC and BMI, were used to evaluate the nutritional status of the subjects. More women (64.7%) then men (54.4%) based on MUAC and women (59.4%) then men (34.6%) based on BMI were undernourished. Significant sex difference both in MUAC (t=2.378, p<0.05) and BMI (t=4.971, p<0.001) were observed. Significant age group difference for MUAC was observed (F=8.93***, df=3) for men and (F=9.52***, df=3) for women. For BMI, these values were F=10.10*** (df=3) F=6.17*** (df=3) respectively. In conclusion, we found that adult Santals of both sexes were under critical nutritional stress, women and the oldest among them were the most.     

Body composition and nutritional status of urban Guatemalan children of high and low socioeconomic class

The effects of socioeconomic differences on the nutritional status of two groups of urban living children are considered via an anthropometric assessment of body composition. The sample consists of 981 Guatemala City children, 7.00 to 13.99 years old, of high and low socioeconomic status (SES). High SES children have larger median values for triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, arm circumference, and estimated mid-arm muscle and fat areas than low SES children. Compared with children of a US reference sample, the high SES children generally have larger values for all variables and the low SES children have smaller values. However, the differences between the low SES children and the children of the other two samples are greater for arm fat area than for arm muscle area. The analysis suggests that low SES Guatemalan children suffer to a greater extent from chronic energy, rather than protein, undernutrition. A similar pattern of energy malnutrition has been observed for rural Guatemalan children. These combined data suggest that estimates of fat reserves of the arm provide a useful indication of nutritional status for Third-World children. Results from rural Costa Rican and Honduran studies have been taken to mean that muscle reserves are better than fat reserves as indicators of nutritional status in developing countries. But, those studies did not estimate cross-sectional muscle and fat areas and only considered the extremes of the population distribution for muscle and fat.     

Undernutrition among the tribal children in India: tribes of Coastal, Himalayan and Desert ecology

The purpose of the present cross-sectional investigation was to assess the nutritional condition in children of three tribal communities namely Dhodia, Kinnaura and Bhil, which belong to Coastal, Himalayan and Desert ecology, respectively, in India. A total of 989 tribal children in the age group 0-1 years through 5+ years (below 6 years) was examined. There were 306 Dhodia children (164 boys and 142 girls), 327 Kinnaura children (177 boys and 150 girls) and 356 Bhil children (168 boys and 188 girls) out of 989 subjects. Crown-heel length was measured using infantometer with the child lying supine, height with Martin's anthropometer and body weight using standard weighing machine. Body mass index (BMI) was subsequently computed. 'Z' score was undertaken to obtain comprehensive pictures of undernutrition in terms of wasting, stunting and underweight in these communities. The chi2-test test was also undertaken to compare nutritional indicators by the sexes. It was observed that maximum wasting (85.3%), stunting (86.6%) and underweight (93.3%) was recorded in Kinnaura girls, who belong to Himalayan ecology. The results revealed also that so far as wasting and stunting was concerned, the situation was worst for desert dwelling Bhil, where only 7.3% wasted and 5.6% stunted pre-school children fall in between -1 SD to < or = median as compared to 11.7% wasted and 18.3% stunted pre-school children in Dhodia and 11.3% wasted and 15.3% stunted pre-school children in Kinnaura, who fall in the same category (-1 SD to < or = median). It was important to note that the prevalence of undernutrition in terms of wasting, stunting and underweight was similar in both the sexes (chi2(2) = 1.745, p > 0.05). The findings of the present study revealed the widespread prevalence of undernutrition among the children of Dhodia, Kinnaura and Bhil tribal communities and highlight a need for an integrated approach towards improving the child health as well as the nutritional status in these areas.     

Pattern of adolescent growth among the Brahmin girls--rural-urban variation

A cross-sectional study of adolescent growth was undertaken among the Brahmin girls residing in rural and urban areas of Sagar districts, Madhya Pradesh to evaluate the urban-rural differences. Six anthropometric measurements, such as weight, stature, sitting height, head circumference, upper arm circumference and chest girth are taken into consideration. Though the urban girls show consistently higher values of weight, stature, sitting height and chest girth than the rural girls, but in case of head circumference and upper arm circumference they show consistently lower values. The maximum increment occurs between the ages 13 and 14 years in all the six measurements in both rural and urban girls.     

Parental education and living environmental influence on physical development, nutritional habits as well as level of physical activity in Polish children and adolescents

The aim of this work was to evaluate the physical development and nutritional status, the nutrition habits as well as level of physical activity of boys and girls in relation to the socio-economic status of their families. The study was conducted on a group of 529 boys and 535 girls aged 7-16 years from Swietokrzyskie Province in Poland. Boys and girls from high SES families had the greatest body height, BMI, upper arm muscle area, as well as upper arm fat tissue area, while the lowest values of these features occurred among those studied coming from families of a low SES. The higher the family SES, the higher habitual frequency of consuming vegetables and fruit as well as fish. The diet of children coming from higher SES families was also linked with a higher total protein content as well as animal protein, all analysed minerals and some vitamins, but there were no significant differences of energetic value in daily food rations as well as fat content. The longer time spent on some sedentary activities was connected with a higher family SES. The girls coming from a high status families also declared a higher level of physical activity, whereas such relationship was not observed among boys. A more rational set of nutritional habits observed among children from a higher SES families can be the basic reason for their higher advancement in development. A shorter time devoted to sedentary activities is assumed to be the main cause of a smaller relative body mass and less obesity among girls and boys from low SES families.     

Nutritional status of adolescents in the context of the Moroccan nutritional transition: the role of parental education

In Morocco, the beginning of the nutritional transition is closely linked to social and economic transformations and changes in behaviour and traditional lifestyles. The objective of this study is to describe the current pattern of food consumption and the nutritional status of adolescents in the province of Ouarzazate and its association with parents' educational level. The sample comprises 327 high school students from Ouarzazate: 135 (41.3%) boys and 192 (58.7%) girls (age range 15-20 years). For both boys and girls, the results show lower height and BMI z-scores than the WHO reference values. Adolescents whose parents have a low educational level have lower height/age and BMI/age z-scores than those whose fathers have a high educational level. No differences are observed in total daily energy intake depending on fathers' educational level, but the energy provided by lipids is higher in adolescents whose fathers have a high educational background. The quality of fats consumed (MUFA+PUFA/SFA) is better among those boys whose fathers have low education, but no differences are observed for girls. The process of nutritional transition is not uniform in the sample, but depends on the socioeconomic characteristics of population groups, which include, among others, accessibility of certain food, differences in habits and lifestyles related to energy expenditure, and higher prevalence of overweight and obesity in more favoured groups.     

Secular Trends in Growth and Nutritional Status of Mozambican School-Aged Children and Adolescents

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine secular changes in growth and nutritional status of Mozambican children and adolescents between 1992, 1999 and 2012.

Methods

3374 subjects (1600 boys, 1774 girls), distributed across the three time points (523 subjects in 1992; 1565 in 1999; and 1286 in 2012), were studied. Height and weight were measured, BMI was computed, and WHO cut-points were used to define nutritional status. ANCOVA models were used to compare height, weight and BMI across study years; chi-square was used to determine differences in the nutritional status prevalence across the years.

Results

Significant differences for boys were found for height and weight (p<0.05) across the three time points, where those from 2012 were the heaviest, but those in 1999 were the tallest, and for BMI the highest value was observed in 2012 (1992<2012, 1999<2012). Among girls, those from 1999 were the tallest (1992<1999, 1999>2012), and those from 2012 had the highest BMI (1999<2012). In general, similar patterns were observed when mean values were analyzed by age. A positive trend was observed for overweight and obesity prevalences, whereas a negative trend emerged for wasting, stunting-wasting (in boys), and normal-weight (in girls); no clear trend was evident for stunting.

Conclusion

Significant positive changes in growth and nutritional status were observed among Mozambican youth from 1992 to 2012, which are associated with economic, social and cultural transitional processes, expressing a dual burden in this population, with reduction in malnourished youth in association with an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity.     

Age-related Patterns of Upper Arm Muscle and Fat Area in Turkish Children and Assessment of Nutritional Status

Anthropometric estimation of midarm muscularity and fatness was employed as a general index of nutritional status in developing countries. The present study attempts to evaluate the sex- and age-related pattern of regional muscle and fat area characteristics in Turkish children. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 1,068 10- to 14-year-old children (583 boys and 485 girls) from junior high schools in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. According to general anthropometric protocols, weight, height, triceps skinfold thickness, and midarm circumference measurements were taken and socioeconomic data were collected. Arm muscle area (AMA) and arm fat area (AFA) were calculated and centile curves were evaluated using least median squares method. Results showed significant sexual dimorphism in muscle and fat patterning. AFA was found to be higher among girls and AMA among boys. The present findings suggest that the different levels of socioeconomic status (SES) appeared to be more prevalent on muscularity among boys (p < 0.05) and adiposity among girls (p < 0.001).     

Somatic growth of a school-aged population from Mozambique: trend and biosocial meaning

A cross-sectional study of children and adolescents from Maputo, Mozambique, was carried out in order to (1) describe the current growth status of children and adolescents from Maputo, (2) evaluate the relative status of the growth and development of youth from Maputo compared to WHO international standards, (3) assess the relationship between socioeconomic status and growth and development, and (4) assess the impact that the civil war (1980-1992) had on the health status of children and adolescents living in Maputo. The sample is composed of 2,271 subjects (1,098 boys and 1,173 girls), age 6 to 17 years. Somatic measures included height, weight, and skinfold thicknesses from which nutritional indicators were calculated and plotted against WHO norms. Subjects were divided into three groups according to their socioeconomic status. Data from a cross-sectional study done in the same areas in 1992 was used to analyze the impact of war. Beginning at 11 years, Maputo students are always shorter and weigh less than the WHO standards. BMI in boys from 11 years and in girls from 12 years is somewhat lower than the WHO norms. A social gradient is evident, favoring those students with higher socioeconomic status. Height, weight, BMI, fat mass, and lean body mass are always higher in the 1999 sample than in the 1992 study. We conclude that (1) there is a substantial difference in height and weight values of Maputo children and adolescents compared to WHO standards; (2) there is a clear advantage of being of higher socioeconomic status; (3) socioeconomic status, hygiene, and sanitation are the main factors responsible for the greater values of the 1999 sample; and (4) differences between the stature of students with higher socioeconomic status and the WHO norms are almost irrelevant. This last aspect reveals the importance of socioeconomic factors in determining the growth process, implying its importance in facilitating the "expression" of the genotypes available in the population.     

Nutritional status in two Mbyá-Guaraní communities from Misiones (Argentina)

Growth and nutritional status of children and adults in two Mbyá-Guaraní communities from Argentina, was assessed. Height, weight, sitting height, upper arm circumference, triceps and subscapular skinfold were measured on 120 individuals aged from 2 to 60 between March and May, 2001. Data were transformed to z-scores using United States references (NHANES I and NHANES II). A z-score of less than -2 was used as the cut-off point to determine the prevalence of stunting and wasting respectively. Mean z-scores for weight, height, and upper arm circumference lie below the reference (0 > Z > -3), while in sitting height ratio and muscular area for females they were above the US standard (0 < Z < 2). Skinfold thicknesses and muscular area for males were similar to the reference (2 > Z > -1). Our findings are in agreement with others South American Indian research that the prevalence of stunting (36.7%) is significantly higher than wasting (1.8%). The presence of parasitic infections and nutritional environment previously described in this population could be related to the short stature.     

Prevalence and determinants of obesity in children in public schools of Sintra, Portugal

Objective: To assess the prevalence of and the factors related to overweight and obesity in a sample of children from the region of Sintra, Portugal. Methods and Procedures: Cross‐sectional study, stratified for freguesia with random selection of schools. Height, weight, triceps skinfold, upper arm and waist circumferences were measured, and overweight/obesity defined according to international criteria. Breast‐feeding, number of daily meals and parents' height and weight data were also collected. Results: One thousand two hundred and twenty‐five children aged 6–10 years were assessed. Overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 35.6% (23% overweight and 12.6% obesity). Overweight or obese children had higher triceps skinfold, upper arm circumference, arm muscle area, and waist circumference than their normal weight counterparts (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, relatively to a child without obese progenitors, a child with one obese progenitor had an obesity risk multiplied by 2.78 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.76–4.38), while a child with two obese progenitors had a risk multiplied by 6.47 (95% CI: 5.59–16.19). Conversely, being picky was significantly related with a smaller risk of obesity: for boys, odds ratio (OR) = 0.15 (95% CI: 0.04–0.63); for girls, OR = 0.19 (95% CI: 0.06–0.64). Finally, no relationships were found between obesity, birth weight, birth height or breast‐feeding. Discussion: Prevalence of overweight and obesity are elevated among children of the Sintra region in Portugal compared to most other regions of Europe. The relationship with the parents' nutritional state stresses the need to target families for preventing obesity.     

Effect of Ascaris infection on the nutritional status and I.Q. of children

It was estimated that about 1.3 billion persons all over the world were infected with Ascaris Lumbricoides (A.L.), Especially children in tropical and subtropical countries. AIM To investigate the effects of A.L. infection on the nutritional status and the intellectual level in a sample of Egyptian primary school children from rural Giza province. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A sample of 637 children (329 boys and 308 girls) aged 6–12 years, have been subjected to some anthropometric measurements including body weight, body height, arm circumference, head circumference and triceps skinfold thickness. In addition, the I.Q. was determined using “Draw-a-man” test. Blood hemoglobin concentration was also determined using a spectrophotometric method. All the children were then subjected to stools and urine examinations, and peri-anal swab. Only 242 children were included for further study, of whom 45 boys and 38 girls were found infected with A.L. solely, and 81 boys and 78 girls of about the same age free of parasitic infections were taken as control. RESULTS Children infected with A.L. has significantly lower body weight, height, and arm circumference but insignificantly lower skinfold thickness and head circumference as comparedto the control group. Infected children had significantly lower hemoglobin concentration and I.Q. than the controls. CONCLUSIONS Selected anthropometric measurements, biochemical and intellectual tests from a useful complementary battery for reliable and informative investigation of the effects of parasitic infection on child nutrition and health. A.L. was found to have a significant effect on the physical and intellectual status of the rural Egyptian children of age 6–12 years.     

Undernutrition,subsequent risk of mortality and civil war in Burundi

The paper investigates the effect of child undernutrition on the risk of mortality in Burundi. Using anthropometric data from a longitudinal survey (1998–2007) we find that undernourished children, measured by the height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) in 1998 had a higher probability to die during subsequent years. In order to address the problem of omitted variables correlated with both nutritional status and the risk of mortality, we use the length of exposure to civil war prior to 1998 as a source of exogenous variation in a child's nutritional status. Children exposed to civil war in their area of residence have worse nutritional status. The results indicate that one year of exposure translates into a 0.15 decrease in the HAZ, resulting in a 10% increase in the probability to die. For boys, we find a 0.34 decrease in HAZ per year of exposure, resulting in 25% increase in the probability to die. For girls, the results are statistically not significant at the usual thresholds. We show the robustness of our results and we derive policy conclusion for a nutrition intervention in times of conflict.     

Are there differences in body dimensions among children from matings at different exogamic levels?

The aim of this study was to investigate if there are differences in body dimensions among children from matings of different levels of exogamy. The cross-sectional sample consisted of 285 children, 136 males and 149 females, 6 to 10 years old, attending elementary schools in Tortoli, a town in east-central Sardinia. The children were divided into four groups according to the level of exogamy. One of them included the children of parents born in the same Sardinian village is highly endogamous. For each sex, the Kruskal-Wallis test revealed no significant differences among the four groups of children for the 35 anthropometric variables considered, with the exception of head circumference in the male sample. In particular, there were no significant differences among the four groups of children for some anthropometric variables that are considered to be indirect indicators of nutritional status: sum of skinfolds, waist/hip ratio, body mass index, total upper arm area, upper arm muscle area, upper arm fat area. We conclude that Sardinian children from marriages of different levels of exogamy do not differ in body dimensions if they have similar nutritional conditions.     

Extreme levels of underweight and stunting among pre-adolescent children of low socioeconomic class from Madhyamgram and Barasat, West Bengal, India

A cross-sectional study on 1206 children (788 boys, 618 girls) aged 1-12 years, belonging to low socioeconomic status, of Barasat and Madhyamgram, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to investigate age and sex variations in height and weight. It also evaluated the levels of underweight and stunting among them. Anthropometric measurements included weight and height. Weight-for-age (WA) and height-for-age (HA) <-2 z-scores were used to evaluate underweight (UW) and stunting (ST), respectively, following the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Guidelines. Results showed that boys aged 4 and 11 years were significantly heavier than girls of corresponding ages. Boys aged 7 years were significantly taller than girls of the same age. Significant (p < 0.001) age differences existed in mean weight and height in boys (weight: F = 336.762; height: F = 565.160) as well as girls (weight: F = 275.320; height = 498.715). Results also revealed that the mean z-scores of WA (WAZ) and HA (HAZ) were less than (negative values) those of NCHS for both sexes at all ages. The overall (age combined) rate of UW was 60.4% and 51.3%; while that of ST was 51.7% and 48.4%, in boys and girls, respectively. Based on World Health Organization classification of severity of malnutrition, the prevalence of UW and ST were very high (> or = 30%) in both sexes. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the prevalence of UW and ST were very high among the subjects. Since the nutritional status of the subjects is not satisfactory, there is need for immediate supplementary nutrition.     

Blood lead level and nutritional status indicators in preadolescent Polish schoolchildren

BackgroundEnvironmental pollutions with heavy metals may have toxic effects on human health and development. One of the most detrimental is lead exposure, which may disturb neurodevelopment and linear growth in children. However, data on the effect of lead exposure on nutritional and weight status in children are limited, thus this study aimed to assess the effect of blood lead (Pb) level on nutritional and weight status in preadolescent schoolchildren from the industrialized, mining region in southwestern Poland.MethodsOur study sample involved N = 709 schoolchildren (402 boys and 307 girls) in the preadolescent developmental period (7–11 years of age for boys and 7–10 years of age for girls). Anthropometric measurements were used to assess nutritional and weight status: body mass index (BMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and skinfolds thicknesses (triceps, subscapular, abdominal and the sum of skinfolds). Blood Pb level was evaluated and divided into two groups: above (>3.7 μg/dL) and below median value (≤3.7 μg/dL).ResultsAnalysis of covariance (with children’s age controlled as a covariate) revealed that children with blood Pb level above median value had significantly lower values of BMI, MUAC and all skinfolds (at least p < 0.01). However, this effect was significant only in boys, whereas in girls differences were non-significant (p > 0.05). The highest effect size of blood Pb level was noted for skinfolds thicknesses (partial η²: 0.015 for the sum of skinfolds).ConclusionsNutritional status in children with higher blood Pb level is significantly impaired in preadolescent boys, who appear to be more sensitive to this environmental factor. Our findings indicate a particular need for nutritional and environmental interventions among preadolescent children in regions with higher lead exposure.