Evaluation of body mass index (bmi) of children aged 7-12 primary school pupils in Siedlce

Abstract

Background. The occurrence of overweight and obesity in childhood promote many diseases, causing complications both in childchood and in adulthood. Objective. The aim of study was to evaluate body mass index (BMI) of children aged 7-12 from primary schools in Siedlce (city in Poland) and determining the risk of obesity in this group. Material and methods. Subjects were 450 primary school children aged 7-12 years living in Siedlce, studied between 2017-2018, and consisted of 269 (59.7%) girls and 181 boys (40.3%). The BMIs were determined and total body composition was measured by a SC-240 Analyzer. Result were compared with percentile grids elaborated in the OLAF study. Results. The average BMI for 7-year-olds was 16.6, (16.8 for girls, c50=15.6 and 16.2 for boys, c50=15.8), whilst for 12-year-olds they were 19.0, (19.7 for girls, c50=18 and 19.1 for boys, c50=18). Despite 70.2% of average BMI values being correct, individually abnormal clusters were observed within the girl and boy grouping. We found that 5.8% children were underweight (6.7% girls and 4.4% boys), whilst 16.7% were overweight (19.7% girls and 12.1% boys), and those obese were 7.3% (8.2% girls and 6.1% boys). Conclusions. The BMI to height ratio was found to be correct in most subjects, nevertheless it was 12% higher in boys than girls. Abnormal BMIs were found in 1/3 of children, wherein overweight and obesity were more frequent than those being underweight. Excessive body mass was found in 24% of all children, with the highest rates being in 9-year-old girls (30.2%) and 12-year-old boys (29.4%). It is necessary to constantly monitor the BMI among school children.