Prevalence of overweight/obesity and fitness level in preschool children from the north compared with the south of Europe: an exploration with two countries

Autor: Christine Delisle Nyström, Francisco B. Ortega, Jonatan R. Ruiz, Borja Martinez-Tellez, Marie Löf, Guillermo Sanchez-Delgado, Cristina Cadenas-Sanchez, Jose Mora-Gonzalez, A. S. Risinger
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: Pediatric Obesity. 11:403-410
ISSN: 2047-6302
DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12079
Popis: SummaryBackground 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
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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