Growth status, estimated body composition and functional characteristics in school children.

Obesity is a major public health problem throughout most of the world, but in some areas both obesity and undernutrition coexist. Although overweight and obesity among Italian children have received attention, there is a need for information about the other extreme, underweight. There is also a need for further understanding of the functional consequences of variation in nutritional status. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutritional status of Italian children in the context of growth, body composition and functional characteristics. The sample included 296 school children, 147 males and 149 females, from Cento (Ferrara – Emilia-Romagna). The children were followed longitudinally for three years. The short-term longitudinal study is a preliminary phase of a broader project dealing with modifications in body composition and physical activity associated with growth. Anthropometric dimensions included weight, height, sitting height, eight circumferences (normal chest, maximum chest, minimum chest, relaxed arm, contracted arm, wrist, thigh, calf), eight skinfold thicknesses (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, subspinal, thight, medial and lateral calf), and breadths of the humeral and femoral epicondyles. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated and used to classify children as underweight and overweight/obese using the cut-off values proposed for central-north Italian. Tracking was defined as maintaining underweight, overweight, or obesity status over the three year interval. Percentage fat was estimated with the procedures of Slaughter et al.; fat-free mass and fat mass were derived. Functional characteristics were limited to lower back/upper thigh flexibility (sit and reach) and grip strength. The growth status of children from Cento approximate reference values for the Italian population. The prevalence of underweight is higher in females, but the prevalence of overweight/obesity is higher in males.