Abstract

MEDINA BUSTOS, Marcos et al. Mass body fat in schoolchildren and adolescents in the area of the Tamborada Cochabamba, Bolivia. Gac Med Bol [online]. 2017, vol.40, n.1, pp.10-13. ISSN 1012-2966.

Objective: to determine the proportion of body fat mass quantified with subcutaneous folds in school children and adolescents in the area of “La Tamborada”, Cochabamba. Methods: it is a descriptive and transversal study. A total of 158 schoolchildren and adolescents from both sexes and between 7 and 17 years of age that attend day care centers and school support centers under the Integral Development Center (CDI) were evaluated. BMI was assessed by age and sex. For the study of the body fat distribution, the four skinfolds, triceps, bicipital, subscapular and suprailiac fold were measured from Brook’s and Siri multiple regression equations, the density was obtained and thus the total volume of Body fat of each subject. Results: for the anthropometric indicator BMI no statistically significant differences were found for the gender variable (p = 0.165). Body fat mass in percentage (%); in the masculine gender it is possible to be observed that this increases progressively until the 12 years and later also diminishes progressively. In the case of women from the beginning, an ascent up to the age of 13 is evident, in order to decrease the percentage of body fat. The association between body fat percentage values and body mass index values, there is a very high correlation between both variables (r = 0.861, p <0.001). Discussion and Conclusion: these data indicate that body mass index is increased between subjects and fat percentage figures showed an increase in parallel mode.

Keywords : body fat mass; skin folds; body mass index; school children; adolescents.

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