The Results of Studying Anthropometric Status Indicators in School-Aged Children and Their Parents

Abstract

Introduction: Physical development is one of the important health criteria of children and adolescents. The objective of our study was to evaluate anthropometric status indicators of school-aged children and their parents using the results of a questionnaire-based survey conducted in the Sverdlovsk Region. Materials and methods: The survey was carried out in accordance with method recommendations and practical guidelines developed by the Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology and involved 3,369 schoolchildren and 5,303 parents. When parents specified body height and weight of their children in questionnaires, we also made use of the results of regular medical checkups provided by medical workers. Results: We established that the majority children had normal height and weight, a third of them were overweight, which was more typical for children living in rural areas, and every fifth child was underweight. Overweight was more prevalent among primary and secondary school boys whereas underweight was more common among high school girls. The average body mass index of parents was slightly above the healthy weight range and equaled 25.6 kg/m2 , overweight being more frequent in men. We noticed that most overweight parents of both genders lived in rural areas. The odds of overweight in children of mothers and fathers with a body mass excess were 1.9 and 1.4 times higher, respectively. Relative risk values indicate an immediate relationship between overweight in parents, especially mothers, and their children. Conclusions: The risk of childhood overweight and obesity is higher in children of overweight parents.