Obesity, self-esteem and fitness in students

Indexación: Scopus.Introduction: Childhood obesity is a serious public health issue, since it generates adverse results for physical and mental health. Objective: To correlate nutritional status and levels of self-esteem and physical performance in schoolchildren aged between 8 and 10. Materials and methods: 236 students participated, 117 male and 119 female, aged between 8 and 10, from two public schools in the municipality of Temuco. Weight, height, body mass index, mass/ fat percentage, waist contour, physical condition, hours of physical exercise per week and self-esteem were evaluated. Results: Overnutrition was documented in 43.6% of the students; children classified as obese (19%) presented higher levels of fat mass and waist contour (p<0.001), and also had a lower physical performance (p