Prevalence of overweight/obesity and fitness level in preschool children from the north compared with the south of Europe: an exploration with two countries.
Pediatr Obes
; 11(5): 403-10, 2016 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26549795
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
North-south differences in the prevalence of obesity and fitness levels have been found in European adolescents, yet it is unknown if such differences already exist in very young children.OBJECTIVES:
This study aims to compare the prevalence of overweight/obesity and fitness levels in preschool children aged 4 years from Sweden (north of Europe) and Spain (south of Europe).METHODS:
The sample consisted of 315 Swedish and 128 Spanish preschoolers. Anthropometry (weight, height, waist circumference) and fitness (strength, speed-agility, balance and cardiorespiratory fitness) were assessed. Analysis of covariance adjusted for age, sex and height/body mass index (BMI) was used.RESULTS:
Preschool children from Sweden had lower prevalence of overweight/obesity than their peers from Spain (World Obesity Federation, mean difference, MD = -9%, P = 0.010; World Health Organization, MD = -11%, P = 0.011). Concerning fitness, preschoolers from Spain were more fit in terms of upper-muscular strength (MD = +0.4 kg, P = 0.010), speed-agility (MD = -1.9 s, P = 0.001), balance (MD = +4.0 s, P = 0.001) and cardiorespiratory fitness (MD = boys = +6.6 laps, girls = +2.3 laps; P < 0.001 for all), yet they had worse lower-muscular strength (MD = -7.1, P ≤ 0.001) than those from Sweden. Differences in upper-muscular strength were largely explained by differences in BMI, and differences in cardiorespiratory fitness should be interpreted cautiously due to some methodological deviations.CONCLUSIONS:
These findings suggest that a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity in Spain compared with Sweden is present already at early childhood, while differences in physical fitness components showed mixed findings.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Aptidão Física
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Sobrepeso
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Obesidade Infantil
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Child, preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Male
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article