The purpose of this study was to evaluate foot arch types of obese children and adolescents aged 9-16.5 years using both indirect and direct measures. Fifty-eight obese children/adolescents attending the paediatric endocrinology unit of the University Hospital "Lozano Blesa" in Zaragoza were selected as experimental subjects. Fifty-eight gender and age matched, normal-weight children/adolescents were selected as control subjects. To assess the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) height, which is used as a main reference for the diagnosis of flatfoot, footprints from both feet were collected (in both groups) and lateral weight-bearing radiographs of both feet were taken (of 49 of the 58 obese children). Footprint angle (FA) and the Chippaux-Smirak index (CSI) were calculated from the footprints. Talus-first metatarsal (TFMA) and calcaneal inclination angles (CIA) were obtained from lateral feet radiographs. In the normal-weight group, mean values of FA and CSI indicated a normal MLA. In the obese group, morphological flatfoot was identified. Comparison between both groups, by side and gender, showed a decrease of FA (p<0.001) and an increase of CSI (p<0.001) in obese subjects. Mean values of TFMA and CIA in the obese group indicated a lowering of the MLA. Obese children/adolescents between 9 and 16.5 years of age had significantly lower values of FA and higher CSI, related to a lower MLA. Radiographic parameters supported these findings and mean values were associated with a fall of this arch.

These findings suggest that promoting MVPA may be have a beneficial effect on attention capacity, an important component of cognition, in adolescents.

Spanish adolescents presented different sedentary patterns according to age, gender and SES. Boys reported more time engaged in electronic games, whereas girls reported more time studying. Parental occupation had more influence than parental education on the time spent in sedentary behaviours.

One of the main outcomes of the international comparison was that the findings between the three countries showed more similarities than differences in psychometric assessment, indicating that the CDS can be used for care dependency assessment in different countries.

No abstract