Abstract

Author(s): Arencibia Moreno, Ricardo1; Hernández Gallardo, Damaris2; Linares Girela, Daniel3; Párraga Acosta, Johanna Sabrina1; Rodríguez Véliz, Ramón Isidro1; Linares Manrique, Marta4

Introduction: In the Ecuadorian coast there are reports of altered nutritional condition in children and motivates nutritional research.

Objective: To evaluate the transition of bone complexion and nutritional status in schoolchildren from Portoviejo, Ecuador.

Methods: Nutritional diagnosis of 1258 schoolchildren from five to nine years old in educational units in Portoviejo. Measurement of weight, height and circumference of the wrist is performed to determine body complexion index and body mass, in addition to growth rates segregated by sex. Statistical analysis is performed with IBM SPSS software version 23.0.

Results: The mean height is 1.24 (0.11) m, weight 28.11 (10.34) kg and the wrist circumference is 11.88 (2.09) cm. Females (1.19 (0.12) m) have height less than males (1.21 (0.11) m) up to eight years, then they exceed them. Similar situation with weight. Nutritional status is normal and the complexion that prevails is large.

Discussion: Progressive increase in height and weight is shown, with disparity in the ranges 5-7.9 and 8-9 years due to synergistic age-sex and prepubertal events. The complexion index does not increase according to age and influences body mass by association with abdominal fat content.

Conclusions: height and weight have a similar generic increase until physiological changes associated with female puberty begin, when they surpass their sexual partners. Higher individuals have a higher BMI. Body complexion is influenced by pubertal changes with prevalence of a large complexion in active growth and predisposition to overweight or obesity, the small to emaciation.