Anthropometry and body composition of school children in Bahrain

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:This study was conducted because of the lack of a comprehensive nationwide assessment of data on the anthropometric status and related health problems in Bahraini school children aged 6 to 18 years.SUBJECTS AND METHODS:A cross-sectional survey was conducted on the anthropometric status of school children enrolled in the primary, intermediate and secondary government schools in all populated regions of Bahrain. The sample size included 2594 students (1326 girls and 1268 boys) representing 2.5% of the total student population. For sample selection, a multi-stage sampling design was chosen that combined multi-cluster and simple random sampling methods. Anthropometric measurements included height, weight, mid-arm circumference and skin fold thickness at two sites (triceps and subscapular). Anthropometric indices derived were body mass index (BMI) and arm muscle area. The WHO reference standards (2007) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) II data were used for comparison.RESULTS:Compared to WHO reference standards, the median height of Bahraini children and adolescents in the age range of 6 to 18 years was close to the 25th percentile or lower, while the median BMI during adolescent years was comparable in boys, but higher than WHO standards in girls, reaching the 75th percentile. The cut-off values of BMI for overweight/obesity status (85th and 95th percentile) were higher by 3-6 kg/m2 compared to WHO standards. While skin fold thicknesses were also higher in Bahraini adolescents compared to their American counterparts (NHANES II), arm muscularity was substantially lower.CONCLUSIONS:Current study findings for BMI as well as skin fold thicknesses suggest an increased trend toward adiposity among Bahraini adolescents, especially in girls, which puts this age group at a high risk of adult obesity and its consequences. A need for urgent intervention programs is emphasized.

Age-sex trends of under nutrition among the adolescent school children in an urban resettlement colony of District Gautam-budhnagar, Uttar Pradesh. A comparative study with WHO 2007 reference standards

“…Another study conducted by Hasan [6] among government school students of 8-14 years age group of Azad Nagar, Bangalore also showed mean BMI to be lower than WHO reference standards in all age groups. However, these findings are different from those observed by Gharib [7] in Bahrain where the median BMI among school students 6-18 years of age was comparable to WHO standards in boys and higher than WHO standards in girls. This may be attributed to the higher standards of living of people in Bahrain.…”

Comparative analysis of the anthropological characteristics of children from Vojvodina (Serbia) and Belarus

“…Comparing the obtained results of stature, weight and body mass index with relevant literature data, the children in this study show greater values of the three traits in relation to children from Bahrain (Gharib and Rasheed, 2009) In relation to the data obtained in Western Romania (Emandi et al 2012), Belarussian boys and girls are characterized by lower stature and weight, and the same is noticed for certain ages groups among children from Vojvodina. The results of this study also suggest that boys and girls from Vojvodina and Belarus show greater stature and weight in comparison with Polish (Niewiadomska et al 2011) and Turkish (Oner et al 2004) children, with the exception of the12-year-old Belarussian girls in the latter case.…”

Anthropometry and Prevalence of Common Health Problems among School Going Children in Surathkal, Karnataka

“…The height and weight of a child are useful indices of development, reflecting the various influences on growth, including nutrition [1]. Height and weight of healthy children varies in different parts of the world, due to varied ethnicity and cultural background.…”