Body fat in children and adolescents participating in organized sports: Descriptive epidemiological study of 6048 Latvian athletes.

BACKGROUND: Pressure among young athletes to meet body composition goals may lead to poor nutrition and affect growth. AIMS: To examine the proportion of body fat (%BF), measured by bioimpedance analysis, among Latvian children and adolescents participating in organized sports. METHODS: Our study had a nationally representative sample of 6048 young athletes, aged 10-17 years. Their %BF was measured using a multifrequency, 8-pole, bioelectrical impedance leg-to-hand analyzer. RESULTS: About 19.2% (CI 14.4-20.0) of boys and 15.1% (CI 14.0-16.3) of girls had a %BF value below the recommended levels. The %BF in young female athletes participating in aesthetic sports was lower than among their peers participating in other sports. Young male athletes participating in aesthetic sports had lower %BF levels at 10 and 12 years of age, compared with participants in weight-class sports; and lower levels of %BF from age 10-14 years, compared with participants in non-weight-sensitive sports. CONCLUSIONS: Almost every fifth child and adolescent participating in organized sports displayed critically low body fat levels. Body fat needs to be assessed regularly in young athletes, to prevent negative consequences on health.

A cross sectional research on the height, weight and body mass index of children aged 5-6 years in Latvia and its secular changes during the last century.

AIM: To determine the main anthropometric parameters and their changes during the 20th and early 21st centuries for children aged 5-6 and to analyze the nutritional level of the population based on percentage. METHODS: 536 healthy Latvian 5 and 6 year old children were randomly selected and a cross sectional survey was carried out. To collect anthropometric data, the height and weight of each child was measured and BMI calculated. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov Goodness-of-Fit test was used to assess the distribution of data; it was concluded, that the data for both boys and girls in both analyzed age groups fits a normal distribution. Using a t-test statistical tool, the results were compared to our previous study (1998/1999) and to the most significant national anthropometric investigations of the 20th century. RESULTS: During the last decade, the mean values of height and weight (for both boys and girls) have increased in both age groups. The mean BMI value increase for 6 year old boys and girls was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The BMI mean values for 5 year old boys and girls have decreased (p < 0.05). In both age groups the highest percentage of children are of normal weight. In the past 10 years the proportion of 5 year old underweight children has increased, but the proportion of overweight children has decreased percentage-wise. In all analyzed age groups a little tendency towards increase of the percentage of obese children can be observed. From 1929 to 2007/2009, the overall mean values of height and weight have increased, but BMI mean values have decreased. CONCLUSION: Positive secular changes were observed in body height and weight during the past decade (p < 0.01) and century. The increase in BMI at the beginning of the 21st century in comparison to the end of the 20th century may possibly be facilitated by the increased occurrence of overweight, obesity and related diseases in Latvian children. However, the number of underweight children has increased in the last decade as well.

Analysis of body composition of 9- and 10-year-old children in Latvia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: According to the data of epidemiologic research, the prevalence of both excessive and insufficient body weight is increasing in a pediatric population leading to the growing burden of health problems due to these changes. The aim of the study was to understand the current situation of physical development of 9- and 10-year-old boys and girls in Latvia and to estimate the prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity among young adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During 2007-2009, a random sample of healthy 9-year-old (n=184) and 10-year-old (n=320) children from all regions and different socioeconomic groups of Latvia was surveyed in a cross-sectional study. The anthropometric measurements of height, weight, (3) circumferences, and 5 skinfolds were performed. The percentage of body fat was calculated by the equation of Slaughter et al. Body mass index and fat mass index were calculated for each respondent. Children were divided into groups according to these indexes. At the age of 9 years, 69.5% of boys had a normal nutritional level either by BMI or FMI, and 54.5% and 72.2% of the girls of the same age had a normal nutritional level by BMI and by FMI, respectively. Obesity according to BMI in 9-year-old boys was found to be 4.7% and in girls 6.1%; according to FMI, 3.7% and 2.3%, respectively. A similar trend was also observed in the cohort of 10-year-old children. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the research showed that the problem of high prevalence of Latvian children with underweight is not smaller than the problem of children with obesity. Evaluation of physical development in children based only body mass index may lead to overdiagnosis of obesity.