BackgroundThis study was designed to estimate overweight and obesity in school children by using contrasting definitions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF).MethodThe sample size consisted of 1361 learners (n = 678 boys; n = 683 girls) aged 9–13 years who were randomly selected from Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces of South Africa. A cross-sectional and descriptive design was used to measure the children’s anthropometric characteristics. Based on height and weight measurements, the children’s body mass index (BMI) was calculated and used to classify them as underweight, overweight and obese. Percentage body fat was calculated from the sum of two skinfolds (i.e. triceps and subscapular). Age-specific BMI, percentage body fat and sum of skinfolds were examined for the boys and girls.ResultsA higher prevalence of overweight and obesity was found in boys and girls when the CDC BMI categories were used. In contrast, the IOTF BMI classifications indicated a strong prevalence of underweight among the children.ConclusionIn contrast to the IOTF index that yielded a greater occurrence of underweight among South African children, the CDC criteria indicated a higher prevalence of obesity and overweight among the same children. Future large-scale surveillance studies are needed to determine the appropriateness of different definitions in order to establish a more reliable indicator for estimating overweight and obesity in South African children.
Background: Prevalence of obesity in youths has drastically increased in both industrialised and non-industrialised countries, and this transition resulted in an increased prevalence of chronic diseases.Aim: The study aimed to comparatively examine prevalence of overweight and obesity status based on tri-ponderal mass index and body mass index in estimating body fat levels in South African children.Setting: The study was conducted in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1361 (boys: n = 678; girls: n = 683) children aged 9–13 years was undertaken. The children’s age and sex-related measurements of body weight, waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfolds and sum of skinfold were taken using the International Society for Advancement of Kinanthropometry protocol. TMI and BMI calculations classified children according to weight and age categories. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were set at ≤ 0.05.Results: Obesity classifications on TMI and BMI among children were as follows: Boys: 7.3%, 2.6%; 2.2%, 0.7%; Girls: 4.0%, 1.0%; 1.8%, 0.6%. Body weight, WHtR, WHpR, TSKF, SSKF and ΣSKF significantly correlated with TMI (r = 0.40, p 0.001; r = 0.73, p 0.001; r = −0.09, p 0.001; r = 0.50, p 0.001; r = 0.51, p 0.001 and r = 0.52, p 0.001) and BMI (r = 0.81, p 0.001; r = 0.59, p 0.001; r = −0.22, p 0.001; r = 0.63, p 0.001; r = 0.67, p 0.001 and r = 0.66, p 0.001). Regression analysis revealed that body weight, WHtR, WHpR, TSKF, SSKF and ΣSKF accounted for 65% and 85% of variance in children’s TMI (R2 = 0.647, F[6 1354] = 413.977, p 0.001) and BMI (R2 = 0.851, F[6 1354] = 1288.218, p 0.001).Conclusion: TMI revealed strikingly higher incidence of overweight and obesity in South African boys and girls than BMI. Future studies are needed to clarify sensitivity of TMI over BMI in quantifying obesity prevalence in children and adolescents.
Objective: To evaluate the relationship between body mass index, overweight, and blood pressure among South African rural children and adolescents.Methods: The sample involved 1,172 schoolchildren (541 boys and 631 girls) aged 10 to 16 years. Stature, body mass, and skinfolds were measured using standard procedures. Overweight was defined by body mass index for gender and age. Blood pressure was monitored in each child three times using validated electronic devices (Omron HEM-705 CP, Device, Tokyo, Japan). Hypertension was determined as the average of three separate blood pressure readings, in which the systolic or diastolic blood pressure was ≥90 th percentile for age and sex. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables.Results: The prevalence of overweight was 5.5% for boys and 4.4% for girls. The children who had systolic blood pressure >90 th percentile ranged from 2.3 to 5.9%. The likelihood of hypertension development among children is noticeable at age 10 for both boys and girls (0.2 and 0.1%, respectively), and ranged from 0.2 to 1.7% for boys and 0.1 to 1.2% for girls. Collectively, the prevalence of hypertension was 4.1 and 2.8% for boys and girls, respectively. Blood pressure correlated positively with stature, body mass, body mass index, body fat, and sum of skinfolds (p<0.001).Conclusions: Blood pressure increased with age in both genders. The routine measurement of blood pressure, as part of physical examinations of schoolchildren, is crucial for early prevention and intervention programs.Key-words: overweight; body mass index; subcutaneous fat; blood pressure; South Africa. RESUMOObjetivo: Avaliar a relação entre índice de massa corporal, sobrepeso e pressão arterial em crianças e adolescentes da área rural da África do Sul.Métodos: A amostra abrangeu 1.172 escolares (541 meninos e 631 meninas) com idades entre 10 e 16 anos. Estatura, massa corporal e dobras cutâneas foram medidas por meio de procedimentos padrão. O sobrepeso foi definido pelo índice de massa corporal para idade e sexo. A pressão arterial foi monitorada três vezes em cada criança com o uso de aparelhos eletrônicos validados (Omron HEM-705 CP, Omron, Tóquio, Japão). A hipertensão foi determinada como a média de três leituras da pressão arterial, em que a sistólica ou a diastólica foi igual ou acima do percentil 90 para idade e sexo. Estatísticas descritivas foram calculadas para todas as variáveis.Resultados: A prevalência de sobrepeso foi de 5,5% para meninos e 4,4% para meninas. A taxa de crianças com pressão arterial acima do percentil 90 variou de 2,3 a 5,9%. A probabilidade do desenvolvimento de hipertensão em crianças é perceptível aos dez anos, tanto para os meninos (0,2%) quanto para as meninas (0,1%), e oscilou de 0,2 a 1,7% para o sexo masculino e de 0,1 a 1,2% para o feminino. Considerando-se a amostra total, a prevalência de hipertensão foi de 4,1% para os meninos e 2,8% para as meninas. A pressão arterial apresentou Violet Kankane Moselakgomo et al correlação positiva com estatura, massa corporal, ...
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