Body fatness and associated selected health risk factors among 10 to 12 year-olds in Port Elizabeth schools

The aim of this study was to explore and describe the body fatness and associated selected health risk factors among 10 to 12 year old adolescents attending schools in Port Elizabeth. Therefore the objectives of the study were to determine the following for the participants: • Level of fatness: weight, height, waist circumference, maximum hip circumference and skinfolds; • Fat intake; • Level of physical activity involvement (IPAQ). To achieve the aim and objectives of this study, the literature pertaining to Childhood Obesity and the possible effects thereof, were reviewed. Both an ex post facto quasi experimental and randomized one-group posttest only designs were used to describe the level of fatness and to identify the incidence of overweight and obesity among adolescents aged 10 to 12 years attending schools in Port Elizabeth. The test battery included anthropometric measurements that were identified from the literature as the factors most important to categorise body fatness such as weight, height, circumferences and skinfolds to determine the level of fatness of the participants. A 21-item Fat Measure for Dietary Intake and International Physical Activity Questionnaire were administered to determine the levels of fat intake and physical activity. Three hundred (300) adolescents were assessed of which 143 were male and 157 were female. In terms of socioeconomic status, 71.3 percent were from the ‘less poor’ quintile schools and 28.7 percent were from the ‘more poor’ quintile schools. The results obtained from the evaluation of the samples were compared in terms of their descriptive statistics and the differences were tested for statistical and practical significance. The results from the study showed that 26.7 percent of the participants were overweight and 14.7 percent were obese according to their skinfold measurements. In terms of body mass index, 79.7 percent of the participants were overweight and 14.3 percent were obese. These results are far higher than majority of the studies included. Physical activity indicated a reduction in body fatness and the most physically active participants were obese. Lastly, body fat percentage and body mass index are very closely related