Association Between Body Composition, Somatotype and Socioeconomic Status in Chilean Children and Adolescents at Different School Levels

Abstract

This study examined the association between body composition, somatotype and socioeconomic status (SES) in Chilean children and adolescents by sex and school level (grade). The cross-sectional study was conducted on 1168 schoolchildren aged 6-18 years (572 males) from Valparaíso, Chile. Body composition, as assessed by percentage body fat (BF%) and somatotype, was evaluated using Ellis equations and the Heath-Carter method, respectively. The socioeconomic status of respondents was assessed using the ESOMAR survey. Obesity was defined as BF% ≥25 for boys and ≥30 for girls; 'high endomorph' somatotype was defined as a somatotype endomorph component (EC) of at least 5.5. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between high adiposity and SES, potential confounding factors and school level. In females, the results indicated that the groups with lower SES had higher EC. At the 1st (youngest) school level (1-4th grades), males exhibited similar trends in their BF% and EC. High adiposity was associated with the female sex (BF%: OR=3.39; 95% CI 2.60, 4.41; high EC: OR=2.31; 95% CI 1.80, 2.98). In addition, low SES increased the risk of high adiposity compared with high SES (BF%: OR=2.25; 95% CI 1.40, 3.61; high EC: OR=2.19; 95% CI 1.37, 3.47). An association was observed between increased adiposity and lower SES, mainly in females, which indicates that females with low SES might be at greater risk of obesity.

External skeletal robustness and adiposity in adolescents of low socioeconomic status: A cross‐sectional analysis of body composition

“…The results of this investigation show that female students present a significantly higher BF% than male students, which is in agreement with previous investigations performed on Chilean adolescents (Lizana et al, , ). This finding indicates a sexual dimorphism wherein female adolescents show higher BF% values than male adolescents.…”

“…One highly documented factor is socioeconomic status (SES), which has been associated with the development of obesity (Johnson, Pratt, & Wardle, ; Wang & Zhang, ). In Chile, where the overall SES is lower, the prevalence of obesity is higher (Liberona, Castillo, Engler, Villarroel, & Rozowski, ; Lizana, Gonzalez, Lera, & Leyton, ; Olivares, Bustos, Lera, & Zelada, ). However, no studies relating SES to external skeletal robustness in adolescents have yet been reported.…”

Evaluación Postural y Prevalencia de Hipercifosis e Hiperlordosis en Estudiantes de Enseñanza Básica

“…Los altos índices de sobrepeso y obesidad son una realidad latente en Latinoamérica (Rivera et al, 2014) y Chile no es la excepción (Lizana et al, 2016(Lizana et al, , 2018. Para la evaluación del sobrepeso y obesidad el IMC ha sido ampliamente utilizado, sin embargo a través de este índice no se reportan los componentes grasos ni su distribución (Rothman) como tampoco la masa muscular.…”

“…Por otro lado, se ha reportado una alta prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en niños y adolescentes en Chile (Lizana et al, 2011(Lizana et al, , 2016(Lizana et al, , 2018Lizana Arce et al, 2012), que influiría en los efectos de las malas posturas y la presencia de patologías cardiovasculares, que aumentan en forma directa con la edad (MINSAL, 2004;OMS, 2017). La obesidad, según Crocker & Yanovski (2009), es una enfermedad crónica de origen multifactorial, producida por un balance energético positivo mantenido en el tiempo, traduciéndose posteriormente en una acumulación excesiva de peso y masa grasa corporal, lo cual es perjudicial para la salud.…”

Relation among body mass index, waist-hip ratio, and pulmonary functional residual capacity in normal weight versus obese Chilean children: A cross-sectional study

“…1 In Chile, childhood obesity has continued increasing, especially since 2009, after the economic crisis. 2,3 The latest data by the National Ministry of Health of Chile (MoH) show that, in children younger than 6 years, obesity accounted for 9.6 % in 2007 and reached 9.9 % in 2010. 4 Fat mass is the most variable component of body composition and there are risks associated with excess fat body mass and its location.…”