Relationship between body composition and physical fitness of primary school learners from a predominantly rural province in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of literature regarding the relationship that exists between body composition and physical fitness amongst primary school learners in South Africa. For the sake of public health purposes, it is important to investigate how body composition relates to physical fitness amongst primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between body composition and physical fitness amongst South African primary school children. SETTING: The study was conducted on a cohort of primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province, which is a predominantly rural province in South Africa. METHODS: A school-based cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst 870 primary schoolchildren aged 9-14 years. Body composition and physical fitness measurements were measured and recorded using standardised measurement scales. RESULTS: Of the 870 participants, 40.34% (n = 351) were boys and 59.66% (n = 519) were girls. The mean age of the participants was 11.04 ± 1.50 years. Boys had a significantly (p = 0.002) higher mean age (11.24 ±1.51 years) as compared to girls (10.91 ± 1.48 years). The results of the non-parametric Spearman's rho correlation coefficients revealed several significant and negative relationships between physical fitness and body composition measurements, which were stronger in girls than in boys. CONCLUSION: The findings call for public health authorities and other relevant policymakers to initiate the development and implementation of policies and interventions targeted at encouraging physical activity participation and healthy lifestyle amongst primary school learners in South Africa, especially amongst girls.Contribution: The study findings supports a relatively rich literature which suggests that girls are more flexible than boys and that negative relationships between body composition measurements and physical fitness characteristics exists, which are stronger in girls than in boys.

Blood pressure profile of primary school children in Eastern Cape province, South Africa: prevalence and risk factors.

BACKGROUND: The problem of cardiovascular diseases and lack of adequate information about the blood pressure profiles among children in South Africa has enormous consequences for public health and the general well-being of communities. AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the blood pressure profiles and associated risk factors of primary school children in South Africa. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted among 876 children aged 9 to 14 years from 18 randomly selected schools in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Standardised blood pressure measuring instruments were used and an average of three readings was considered. Blood pressure status was classified according to the percentiles of systolic blood pressure (SBP). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of hypertension was 5.2% and pre-hypertension was 18.5% while normal blood pressure was 76.3%. The multilevel binary logistic regression's crude and adjusted analysis revealed that increase in age was significantly associated with elevated BP in children ([crude OR = 1.17 [1.05 - 1.29] and [adjusted OR = 1.12 [1.01 - 1.25]). In addition, increase in BMI was significantly associated with elevated BP in children ([crude OR = 1.08 [1.04 - 1.12] and [adjusted OR = 1.06 [1.02 - 1.11]). There was no statistically significant association between elevated BP and gender for both the univariate and multivariate models. There was also no statistical significant risk for elevated BP associated with place of residence. CONCLUSIONS: In this sampled population the established proportion of primary school children with elevated BP is of great concern. In addition, older children and those with high BMI (that is, overweight/obesity) were associated with elevated BP. Interventions towards promoting healthy lifestyles among school learners is a necessity if we are to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour of primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to assess physical activity (PA) levels and sedentary behaviour amongst primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was adopted to assess the patterns and levels of PA and sedentary behaviour using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The sample consisted of primary school learners, both boys and girls, aged 9-14 years. The learners were randomly selected from rural, urban and peri-urban areas in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. RESULTS: Using a complete case analysis, 870 randomly selected participants (boys = 351 and girls = 519) aged 9-14 years were retained. Overall, the sample had a low mean PAQ-C score of 2.33 ± 0.43. The mean of PA in boys was significantly higher (p = 0.003) in comparison with the girls. The 13- to 14-age group had significantly higher PA levels (p = 0.014). Learners from urban areas (n = 136; 77.3%) engaged more in sedentary behaviour compared to those from rural areas (n = 252; 54.9%). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrated low levels of PA and high engagement of sedentary behaviour across the combined gender groups, which have negative implications on health, growth and development of children. The study, therefore, recommends relevant stakeholders to implement interventions aimed at promoting an increase in PA and a reduction in sedentary behaviours for primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

The relationship between body composition and blood pressure among primary school children in Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, especially in the Eastern Cape province, despite reported high prevalence of underweight and obesity, little is known regarding the relationship of body composition (BC) with blood pressure (BP) in primary school children. Understanding the relationship between BC and BP in these children is important because it is associated with adverse effects on health and social repercussion in both adolescence and adulthood. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between BC and BP among South African primary school children. SETTING: This study was conducted on a cohort of primary school learners in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. METHODS: A school-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 876 school children aged 9-14 years, using multistage sampling techniques. Body mass and stature were measured using a calibrated scale. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, waist circumference, triceps, gluteal and subscapular were also collected. Body mass index, percentage body fat and waist-to-hip ratio were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 876 participants, 356 (40.6%) were boys and 520 (59.0%) were girls. The Spearman's rho correlation coefficients revealed positive significant correlations between systolic BP with age (r = 0.171; p 0.0001), stature (r = 0.205; p 0.0001), weight (r = 0.277; p 0.0001), body mass index (r = 0.243; p 0.0001), waist circumference (r = 0.259; p 0.0001), gluteal (r = 0.214; p 0.0001), triceps (r = 0.203; p 0.0001), subscapular (r = 0.167; p 0.0001), body fat percentage (r = 0.206; p 0.0001), fat mass (r = 0.257; p 0.0001) and fat-free mass (r = 0.238; p 0.0001). There was no statistically significant correlation between waist-to-hip ratio and systolic BP (r = 0.064; p = 0.059). In terms of diastolic BP, there existed no significant correlations with age (r = 0.026; p = 0.443) and waist-to-hip ratio (r = 0.002; p = 0.947). Collectively, the prevalence of hypertension was 76.4% in the normal group compared with those who were pre-hypertensive (18.4%) and hypertensive (5.3%). Girls showed a higher prevalence of pre-hypertension than boys (19.6% compared with 16.6%, respectively). CONCLUSION: There is a relationship between most of the BC variables and BP in children. The screening of BP as part of physical examinations of school children is necessary for early prevention and intervention programmes for hypertension.

Effects of a High Protein Food Supplement on Physical Activity, Motor Performance and Health Related Quality of Life of HIV Infected Botswana Children on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART).

OBJECTIVE: Despite existing evidence about the benefits of nutrition, physical activity (PA) and sport to the overall health and wellbeing of children, knowledge gaps remain on this relationship in children living with chronic conditions like HIV/AIDS. Such knowledge should inform context specific programs that could enhance the quality of life of children. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of integrating a nutrition intervention (culturally tailored food supplement) into antiretroviral therapy (ART) on psychosocial outcomes and physical activity among HIV-positive children in Botswana. METHOD: 201 HIV-positive children (6-15 years; M = 9.44, SD = 2.40) were recruited and randomly assigned (stratified by age and gender) to two groups. The intervention group (n = 97) received a high protein (bean-sorghum plus micronutrients) food supplement, while the control group (n = 104) received a sorghum plus micronutrients supplement. Participants were followed over 12 months. Anthropometric measures, PA, motor performance, and health related quality of life (HRQL) were collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: Mixed repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant time effect of the food supplement on target variables except body fat percentage, speed, and school functioning. Time × treatment interaction was found for physical functioning, psychosocial functioning and total quality of life score. Scores on physical functioning and total of quality life in the intervention group significantly increased from baseline to 6 months compared with the control group (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: A combination of ART and nutritional intervention had a positive effect on physical functioning and total quality of life of HIV-positive children in this study. There were also improvements to physical activity and motor performance tests over time. More research is needed on long term effects of nutrition and PA interventions on HRQL in children living with HIV.