The change of skeletal robustness of 6-12 years old children in Brandenburg (Germany)--comparison of body composition 1999-2009

Overweight as a global problem is a challenge to the health systems today and in the future. Detailed information about the development of body composition in children can help to design preventive measures to stop this trend. In the present study 1397 German children aged 6-12 complete years were investigated with anthropometric methods (i.e. height, weight, BMI, skeleton robustness, and percentage of body fat) in 2008/09. The results were compared with a 10 years old identical study. Today, the investigated children are a little bit smaller and the range of BMI and percentage of body fat is increasing. The large decrease of the skeletal robustness especially in the 10th and 3rd percentile is important. Decrease of physical activity as the most important reason for shrinking skeletal robustness is discussed.