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Normative data for calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation among children and adolescents from Colombia: the FUPRECOL Study

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Abstract

Summary

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) has been found to be a safe and reliable method for evaluating bone mineral density (BMD). Using calcaneal QUS techniques, the current study contributes to remedying this gap in the literature by establishing normative data among children and adolescents from Colombia.

Introduction

Minimal data on BMD changes are available from populations in developing countries. BMD reference values for children and adolescents have not been published for a Latin-American population. The aim of this study was to establish a normal reference range of calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) in Colombian children and adolescents with ages ranging from 9 to 17.9 years.

Methods

A sample of 1001 healthy Colombian youth (boys n = 445 and girls n = 556), children, and adolescents (9–17.9 years old) participated in the study. A calcaneus QUS parameter (BUA) was obtained for boys and girls, stratified by age group. Furthermore, height, weight, fat mass percentage, and body mass index were measured. Centile smoothed curves for the third, tenth, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th percentiles were calculated using the LMS method (L [curve Box–Cox], M [curve median], and S [curve coefficient of variation]).

Results

Mean (± SD) values for the participants’ anthropometric data were 12.9 ± 2.3 years of age, 45.2 ± 11.5 kg weight, 1.51 ± 0.1 m height, 19.5 ± 3.1 kg/m2 BMI, and 69.5 ± 17.1 dB/MHz BUA. Overall, all variables were significantly higher in boys except in BMI and body fat percentage. Girls generally had higher mean calcaneal BUA (dB/MHz) values than the boys, except in the age ranges 16 and 17.9, p > 0.05. In addition, the BUA (dB/MHz) increased with age throughout childhood and adolescence and reached a plateau by age 15–17.9 for girls.

Conclusions

For the first time, our results provide sex- and age-specific BUA reference values for Colombian children and adolescents aged 9–17.9 years. A more specific set of reference values is useful for clinicians and researchers and informs clinical practice to monitor bone mineral status.

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Acknowledgments

The FUPRECOL Study received funding from the Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y la Tecnología “Francisco José de Caldas” COLCIENCIAS [Contract N° 671-2014 Code 122265743978]. The authors are grateful to the Bogota District Education Secretary for the data used in this research. The authors would also like thank the Bogota District students, teachers, schools, and staff, who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Estudios en Medición de la Actividad Física [CEMA], Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, DC, Colombia

    Robinson Ramírez-Vélez, Mónica Liliana Ojeda-Pardo, Jorge Enrique Correa-Bautista & Katherine González-Ruíz

  2. Grupo de Investigación GICAEDS, Facultad de Cultura Física, Deporte y Recreación, Universidad Santo Tomás, Bogotá, DC, Colombia

    Mónica Liliana Ojeda-Pardo & Mikel Izquierdo

  3. Departamento de Enfermería, Facultad de Enfermería, Universidad de Granada, C/ Santander N° 1 [52071], Melilla, Spain

    Carmen Flores Navarro-Pérez

  4. Departamento de Enfermería, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Avda. De la Ilustración [18016], Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain

    Emilio González-Jiménez & Jacqueline Schmidt-RioValle

  5. Department of Health Sciences, Public University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

    Mikel Izquierdo

  6. Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Felipe Lobelo

  7. Grupo CTS-436, Adscrito al Centro de Investigación Mente Cerebro y Comportamiento [CIMCYC], Granada, Spain

    Emilio González-Jiménez & Jacqueline Schmidt-RioValle

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  1. Robinson Ramírez-Vélez
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  2. Mónica Liliana Ojeda-Pardo
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Correspondence to Robinson Ramírez-Vélez.

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Ramírez-Vélez, R., Ojeda-Pardo, M.L., Correa-Bautista, J.E. et al. Normative data for calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation among children and adolescents from Colombia: the FUPRECOL Study. Arch Osteoporos 11, 2 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-015-0253-0

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