Abstract
Background
The growing prevalence of childhood obesity is very unfavourable, not only because obesity may increase the risk of many serious diseases, but because obese children are very likely to become obese adults, and adult fatness is accompanied by a high prevalence of physical and psychic disorders.
Objective
To present changes in the nutritional status of Hungarian children and adolescents as observed during the past twenty years on the basis of the 1st (1983–1986) and 2nd (2003–2006) National Representative Growth Studies (NRGS).
Subjects
NRGS I: 39,158 children and NRGS II: 27,958 children, aged 3–18 years.
Methods
Body height and mass, BMI, skinfold thicknesses, body composition and the Heath-Carter somatotype were used to estimate body development and nutritional status. Centiles for measurements were derived by the LMS method. Fat mass and lean body mass were estimated using Siri’s and Durnin-Rahaman’s formulas.
Results
(1) A marked positive change could be observed in body height, body mass and in subcutaneous skinfold thicknesses. (2) The somatotype moved towards a fatter and less robust body build. (3) The fraction of fat mass contributed more to the secular increment of body mass than the fraction of lean body mass. (4) Both the medians and the 90th centiles of BMI markedly exceeded those recorded 20 years ago and (5) The prevalence of overweight and obese children has become much higher in all age groups of girls and boys up to age 15.
Conclusions
The increase in height was not accompanied by a proportionate increase in body mass. The components of total body mass did not alter in parallel: the children became not only heavier, but also fatter. It is mirrored in their more endomorphic somatotype and in the higher prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Résumé
Introduction
Pendant les dernières décennies, la prévalence de surpoids et d’obésité a augmenté parmi les enfants ainsi que les adultes dans la plupart des pays européens. Cette tendance est défavorable, parce que les enfants obèses deviennent en général des adultes obèses, et l’obésité adulte est accompagnée par une prévalence augmentée de pathologies physique et psychosocial.
Objectifs
Présenter l’évolution de l’état nutritionnel des enfants et adolescents hongrois pendant les dernières 20 années, basée sur les données de la première (NGRS-I, 1983–1986) et de la deuxième (NGRS-II, 2003–2006) Étude nationale de croissance.
Sujets
NGRS-I: 39 158 et NGRS-II: 27 958 enfants, entre 3 et 18 ans.
Méthodes
Le poids, la taille, l’IMC, les plis cutanés, la composition corporelle et le somatotype selon Heath-Carter ont été utilisés pour estimer l’état nutritionnel. Les percentiles ont été obtenus par la méthode LMS. La masse maigre et la masse grasse du corps ont été estimées par les formules de Siri et de Durnin-Rahaman.
Résultats
1) Le somatotype a évolué vers une constitution plutôt grasse et robuste; 2) la partie grasse du corps a contribué plus à l’évolution séculaire que la partie maigre; 3) pour l’IMC, le médian ainsi que le percentile 90 dépassent nettement ceux de l’enquête effectuée il y a 20 ans; 4) la prévalence de surpoids et d’obésité chez les enfants a augmenté dans toutes les classes d’âge jusqu’aux âgés de 15 ans.
Conclusions
L’augmentation de taille n’est pas accompagnée par une augmentation proportionnelle de poids, et la composition de la masse corporelle n’a pas évolué d’une façon parallèle. Autrement dit, les enfants sont devenus non seulement plus lourds, mais plus gras aussi. Cela est reflété par un somatotype plutôt endomorphe et par une augmentation de la prévalence de surpoids et d’obésité.
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Bodzsár, ÉB., Zsákai, A. & Pápai, J. Secular changes in the nutritional status of Hungarian children and adolescents during the last two decades. Bull. Mém. Soc. Anthropol. 22, 201–208 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13219-010-0013-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13219-010-0013-z
Keywords
- Hungarian National Representative Growth Study I
- II
- Subcutaneous fat of trunk and extremities
- BMI
- Body composition
- Somatotype