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Abstract

To describe and relate anthropometric evaluations used in the Health Science and physical education disciplines to detect relative risk of waist, cardiometabolic risk and prevalence of obesity or overweight, in schools in Temuco, Chile. These school house children with special educational needs. The study compares Gender and; a) Intellectual disability (ID), b) Motor disability (DM), c) Generalized Developmental Disorder (PDD), d) Cerebral palsy (PC). The participants correspond to schoolchildren n = 156 total, Women n = 50 (age 13,78 + 5,41) and Men n = 106 (13,09 + 5,57). The cardiometabolic risk was estimated by waist-hip index (ICC) and conicity index (CI), waist circumference (CCI) and hip (CCa). Nutritional status was estimated by body mass index (BMI). Student's t test was used for the parametric variables between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used for nonparametric variables. For the comparison of the parametric variables between more than two groups Anova was used. In the case of nonparametric variables, the Kruskal Wallis test was used. Schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities had statistically higher values in weight, BMI, waist and hip (p <0.05). The women showed high values of BMI, waist and relative waist risk (p <0.05). 44, 23% of schoolchildren had excessive malnutrition, 53, 8% had a relative risk of abdominal obesity. Conclusion associating anthropometric variables is an economic and effective health predicting tool in any type of study population. It can be used to make decisions in future food prescription or exercise therapy programs in order to avoid childhood obesity and improve the quality of life in individuals with disabilities.