Body composition in schoolchildren from public educational institutions in Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction: Child malnutrition is an alarming health problem due to its profound consequences in the lives of infants; reason it is essential to monitor the nutritional status. Objective: to assess body composition in schoolchildren from Ecuadorian Public Educational Institutions. Methodology: a descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 1,372 schoolchildren. The triceps skinfold and arm circumference were used to identify the body composition. The Frisancho (1990) formulas were used for the interpretation of the results. Results: in the muscular area of the arm, 29% of the male infants had reduced musculature in relation to 21% of the female infants; the fat area of the male arm was greater by 39% while the females had 36%. Conclusion: Most of the schoolchildren presented an exceptionally low protein reserve, in contrast to a normal caloric reserve, being the most representative result in males. This condition is associated with a probable state of malnutrition in the subjects. However, in future studies the association of the anthropometric variables analyzed with other factors should be considered to obtain definitive results regarding body composition and nutritional risk situation. General study area: Nutrition and Dietetics. Specific study area: Nutritional Status Assessment. Study type: Original paper.