Nutritional transition in schoolchildren from Tucumán, Argentina: A cross-sectional analysis of nutritional status and body composition

CORDERO, MARIA LAURA; CESANI, MARIA FLORENCIA

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY

WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2019

1042-0533

bjective The aim of this paper was to describe the nutritional status and body composition of schoolchildren from Tucumán (Argentina) and analyze variations according to sex, area of residence and socioeconomic status (SES).Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in 1,948 schoolchildren aged 8.0 to 11.9 years. Body weight, height, triceps skinfold, waist and upper arm circumferences were measured.Nutritional status and body composition were estimated using the NHANES III reference. SES was surveyed with the Family Affluence Scale. Area of residence was classified as urban or rural based on the criteria of the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses of Argentina.Logistic regression analysis was applied to evaluate nutritional status and body composition according to sex, area of residence and SES.Results The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 12.3% and 18.2%, respectively, as compared with that of underweight (2.3%), stunting (3%), and wasting (2.1%). The prevalence o