Abstract

Author(s): Bárbara NAVAZO1,2, Evelia Edith OYHENART1,2, Silvia Lucrecia DAHINTEN3

Introduction: Analysis of body composition is essential in assessing nutritional status of the individual. It consists of quantifying the body components and their variability during growth and between sexes. Considering the lack information on this topic, the objective of this work was to analyzed the sexual dimorphism of body composition during growth as a function of the nutritional status evaluated through the body mass index in a sample of Argentinean school children.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional anthropometric study was carried out, with males and females, aged 6-14 years, attending schools in Puerto Madryn. Nutritional status was determined according to the IOTF, differentiating thinness, overweight, obesity and normonutrition. Regarding body composition, adipose distribution, fat and fat-free masses and Frame Index were analyzed. Graphical comparisons were made using percentage differences between means (PDM%) to analyze variations in growth and body composition of the malnourished.

Results: The sample included 2732 schoolchildren (56.5% presented normal nutrition, 2.9% thinness, 26.0% overweight and 14.6% obesity). Based on decimal age, each participant was assigned to prepubertal (48.4%) and pubertal (51.6%) age group. Analysis of sexual dimorphism showed significant differences between sexes in normalnourished, overweight and obese prepubescent, while these were found in all cases among pubertal subjects. PDM% were positive for normalnourished-thin; while for normalnourished-overweight and normalnourished-obese they were negative.

Conclusion: In the child-youth population of Puerto Mardyn, the greatest variations between males and females were found in those with normonutrition and those with overweight. Likewise, fat-free mass and bone component show greater development in males, while the adipose component registers higher values in females.