Anthropometric evaluation and body composition by means of deuterium oxide in Costa Rican schoolchildren

El objetivo del estudio fue determinar el estado nutricional de escolares costarricenses de seis a nueve años. Participaron 103 escolares (54 niños y 49 niñas) con un promedio de edad de 7,8 ± 0,9 años. Se evaluó peso, talla, talla sentado, circunferencia de cintura (CC), índice de masa corporal (IMC), índice córmico (IC) y relación cintura-talla (IC/T). Se utilizó el óxido de deuterio (D2O) para evaluar la composición corporal: % agua corporal total (% ACT), masa libre de grasa (MLG), masa grasa (MG) y % de grasa corporal (% GC). El sobrepeso/obesidad se determinó utilizando el IMC y el método de clasificación de McCarthy para % GC de acuerdo a sexo y edad. Los valores medios para niños y niñas fueron: peso (29,1 ± 7,2 vs 31,0 ± 6,7 kg), talla (124.7 ± 6.7 vs 127.5 ± 7.1 cm), talla sentado (64.4 ± 3.7 vs 65.6 ± 3.5 cm), IMC (18.5 ± 3.11 vs 18.9 ± 2.7 kg/m2), CC (62.1 ± 8.6 vs 63.8±7.8 cm), IC (51.6 ± 1.6 vs 51.5 ± 1.6), I.C/T (0.52 ± 0.1 vs 0.51 ± 0.1), % ACT (56.5 ± 5.7 vs 51.9 ± 4.5 %), MLG (21.0 ± 3.5 vs 20.5 ± 3.6 kg), MG (8.1 ± 4.2 vs 10.5 ± 3.6 kg), % GC (26.3 ± 7.3 vs 33.2 ± 5.7 %), respectivamente. La edad, talla, MG, % GC y % ACT fueron significativamente mayores (p<0.05) en las niñas. Los escolares presentan un crecimiento adecuado junto a una alta prevalencia de sobrepeso/obesidad.The aim of the study was to determine the nutritional status of Costa Rican schoolchildren from six to nine years old. Participants were 103 schoolchildren (54 boys and 49 girls) with an average age of 7.8 ± 0.9. Each participant was assessed for weight, height, sitting height, waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), cormic index (CI), and waist-height ratio (WHtR). Deuterium oxide dilution (D2O) was used to assess body composition; total body water % (TBW%), fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), and body fat % (BF %). Overweight/obesity was determined by the use of BMI and McCarthy’s classification scheme for BF % in terms of sex and age. Mean values for boys and girls were: age (7.6 ± 0.9 vs 8.0 ± 1.0 years), weight (29.1 ± 7.2 vs 31.0 ± 6.7 kg), height (124.7 ± 6.7 vs 127.5 ± 7.1 cm), sitting height (64.4 ± 3.7 vs 65.6 ± 3.5 cm), BMI (18.5 ± 3.11 vs 18.9 ± 2.7 kg/m2), WC (62.1 ± 8.6 vs 63.8 ± 7.8 cm), CI (51.6 ± 1.6 vs 51.5 ± 1.6), WHtR (0.52 ± 0.1 vs 0.51 ± 0.1), TBW % (56.5 ± 5.7 vs 51.9 ± 4.5 %), FFM (21.0 ± 3.5 vs 20.5 ± 3.6 kg), FM (8.1 ± 4.2 vs 10.5 ± 3.6 kg), BF% (26.3 ± 7.3 vs 33.2 ± 5.7 %), respectively. Age, height, FM, BF %, and TBW % were significantly higher (p