Investigation of the Seasonal Variation in Fat Patterning of Ellisras Rural Children and Adolescents, in the Limpopo Province, South Africa (original) (raw)
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Body fat patterning in rural South African black children
American Journal of Human Biology, 1992
Growth status, body fatness, and fat patterning were investigated in two cross-sectional samples of rural South African Black children 6–19 years of age. The results were compared to data for American Blacks who were part of the NHANES survey. The two South African samples differed consistently, although rarely significantly, but both were smaller, lighter, and less fat than American Blacks. Analyses of triceps, biceps, subscapular, and suprailiac skinfolds demonstrated that all three samples had similar fat patterning when analysed either by investigating the Centripetal Fat Ratio or through an analysis of principal components. Following correction for general fatness, and in common with other studies of fat patterning, the first component related to central-peripheral patterning, the second to a ventral-dorsal patterning, and the third to upper-lower body patterning. These three components accounted for 99.4% of the total variance. It is suggested that central-peripheral fat patterning is a species characteristic but that other patterns are individual characteristics. Analysis of principal components within childhood, pre-adolescent and adolescent age groups suggested that prior to adolescence a negative relationship exists between absolute level of fatness and centralization such that thinner, less fat, children are more centralized. During adolescence, however, there is no relationship between level of fatness and centralization. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Nutrition, 2004
OBJECTIVE: We examined differences in body composition between stunted and non-stunted girls, with adjustments for confounding factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a representative sample of 478 African school girls, ages 10 to 15 y, in the North West Province, South Africa. Height, weight, skinfold thicknesses, and waist and mid upper arm circumferences were measured by trained biokineticists using standard methods. Trained fieldworkers measured dietary intakes by 24-h recall, and physical activity was measured by using the physical activity recall of the previous day. Body mass index and physical activity category were calculated. RESULTS: Stunted girls had significantly lower weight and skinfold thicknesses than did non-stunted ones. After including the covariates: age, years since menarche, school, type of housing, dietary energy and fat intakes, physical activity category, body weight, and stratum of urbanization in analysis of variance, the mean sum of triceps skinfold and subscapular skinfold thicknesses of stunted girls was greater than that of the non-stunted girls (P Ͻ 0.002). Stunted subjects were less active than non-stunted ones. CONCLUSION: This manifestation of relatively more subcutaneous fat and greater waist circumference in stunted girls may be involved in the development of obesity among black women in South Africa.
2020
Background: The aim of this paper is to investigate whether BMI and fat percentage classification criteria, would classify a sample in similar criteria’s. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a stratified random sampling included 602 rural boys (7–13 years old). Fat percentage criteria classification and BMI was measured Maturity, age and peak height velocity (PHV) were indirectly determined. Statistical techniques included descriptive, Pearson product correlation, the Kappa agreement test and the McNemar’s test. The level of statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: All age groups presented statistically significant high correlations between BMI and fat percentage, and low to medium correlations between fat percentage and maturity age (MA). Measurement of agreement between BMI and fat percentage classifications showed poor to fair agreements for all age groups, with the exception of the eight-year old group which presented a moderate agreement. Conclusion: Classificat...
BMC Pediatrics, 2020
Background The aim of this paper was to investigate whether BMI and fat percentage classification criteria, would classify a sample of 7–13 year old boys from a rural background in similar nutritional categories. Methods A cross-sectional study with a stratified random sampling included 601 rural boys (7–13 years old). Fat percentage criteria classification and BMI were calculated and compared. Maturity status, and age at peak height velocity (PHV) were indirectly determined. Statistical techniques included descriptive statistics, Pearson product correlation coefficients, the Kappa agreement test and the McNemar’s test. The level of statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results All age groups presented with statistically significant high correlations between BMI and fat percentage, and low to medium correlations between fat percentage and maturity age (MA). Measurement of agreement between BMI and fat percentage classifications showed poor to fair agreements for all age grou...
Body fat percentage of urban South African children: implications for health and fitness
The West Indian medical journal, 2013
To explore gender and racial profiling of percentage body fat of 1136 urban South African children attending public schools in Pretoria Central. This is a cross-sectional survey of 1136 randomly selected children (548 boys and 588 girls) aged 9-13 years in urban (Pretoria Central) South Africa. Body mass, stature, skinfolds (subscapular and triceps) were measured. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations). Differences in the mean body fat percentage were examined for boys and girls according to their age group/race, using independent t-test samples. Girls had a significantly (p = 0.001) higher percentage body fat (22.7 ± 5.7%, 95% CI = 22.3, 23.2) compared to boys (16.1 ± 7.7%, 95% CI = 15.5, 16.8). Percentage body fat fluctuated with age in both boys and girls. Additionally, girls had significantly (p = 0.001) higher percentage body fat measurements at all ages compared to boys. Viewed racially, black children (20.1 ± 7.5) were significantly (p...
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 1994
Adolescent growth in height, fatness, and fat patterning was investigated in a sample of 79 rural South African black children studied longitudinally from 6–18 years. Data were analyzed relative to peak height velocity (PHV) to identify the phenomenon of “compensatory” growth in height during adolescence and to describe changes in fatness and fat patterning. Compensatory growth following PHV was clearly observed relative to NHANES data for African-Americans in that Z-scores for height at the start of the adolescent growth spurt were greater than those at the end of the spurt. Statistically significant differences in fatness and centralization between males and females did not occur until about 2 years after PHV was attained. Centralization of fat occurred in both sexes but moreso in males. The lack of centralization in females was due to relatively greater triceps skinfold velocities. The rapid gain in post-PHV fatness in females may represent a physiological adaptation to an energetically sub-optimal environment, buffering the energetic costs of reproduction. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Public Health Nutrition, 2006
Aim: To investigate the determinants of overweight and obesity among 10-to 15-yearold schoolchildren in a population in the transitional phase in the North West Province of South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used to investigate weight status (anthropometric indicators) and determinants of overweight/obesity including dietary intake, physical activity and socioeconomic status. A single, random sample (n ¼ 1257), stratified for gender, type of school and ethnic group, was used. Data were collected on demographics, family circumstances, habitual physical activity, dietary intake and anthropometry to evaluate weight status and body fat content. One-way analysis of variance, the generalised linear models procedure of SAS and the Tukey post hoc honest significant difference test were used to analyse the data. Results: Few children were overweight or obese (7.8%) according to International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) standards (body mass index (BMI)-forage). These standards were compared with other accepted standard values. Both Cole's IOTF/BMI-forage standard and the sum of skinfold thicknesses standard classified normal-weight status similarly at a level of 92% (P , 0.01) and were found to be useful in determining overweight/obesity. The prevalence rate was higher in females and white children, and was more apparent in urban areas, smaller households and children of parents with low-or high-income occupations. Boys and pre-menarcheal girls had mean body fat percentage in the normal/optimal range, whereas that of post-menarcheal girls was moderately high. Few variables showed a significant association with high body fat percentage: in boys, only the number of members in the household and physical activity levels over the weekend; in girls, only age. The overweight/obese boys mostly lived in smaller households, and the overweight/obese post-menarcheal girls were most inactive on both weekdays and weekends, and more overweight with increasing age. Conclusion: Smaller households, inactivity and increasing age for girls were found to be determinants that influence the development of overweight/obesity, while female gender and age post-menarche were identified as determinants of higher body fat content. For overweight/obesity prevention, the focus should be on pre-menarcheal girls, aged 10-13 years, using these determinants to identify overweight/obesity risk. Preventive programmes should aim to increase the physical activity of children to improve their current and future weight status. Keywords Overweight Obesity Determinants Adolescents Dietary intake Body mass index Body fat percentage Overweight and obesity are considered a rapidly growing threat to the health and well-being of populations in countries worldwide, and are emerging as a public health problem in developed countries 1-3. The prevalence of overweight/obesity in children has doubled in the last two decades, becoming one of the most prevalent nutritional problems in the USA 4. Similarly, there has been a rise in the prevalence of obesity among British, European and Australian children, although patterns may vary 2,5,6. However, obesity is emerging in developed and developing countries alike; taking on the proportions of an obesity epidemic among adults and children 1,6,7. Modern lifestyles
South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Background: Childhood obesity has become a growing global epidemic. In South Africa, overweight and obesity during childhood and adolescence are rising. The objectives of this study were (i) to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among selected students in Cofimvaba, a rural settlement in Eastern Cape province, South Africa, and (ii) to assess the accuracy of the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and ultrasound triceps skin-fold thickness (TSF) methods of predicting these health parameters Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 211 students (109 girls and 102 boys) selected randomly from five public schools in Cofimvaba and aged 6-19 years. The weight, height, MUAC and TSF were determined by standard techniques. Data obtained were subjected to descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: Overall 1.9% (1.8% girls and 2.0% boys) of the respondents were underweight, 14.8% (21.1% and 7.8% boys) were overweight and 2.8% (4.6% girls and 1.0% boys) were obese. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in girls than boys during adolescence but there was no gender difference in children (6-9 years). Most of the students (80.6%) had a healthy weight, with boys being significantly (p < 0.05) healthier than girls. The BMI showed significant strong correlations with MUAC (r = 0.926; p < 0.001) and TSF (r = 0.643; p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis gave an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.795 (95% CI, 0.761-0.889) and 0.835 (95% CI, 0.771-0.899) for MUAC and TSF respectively. Conclusion: The study found a high prevalence of overweight children in the sample and a low prevalence of stunting and underweight. The adolescent girls are at a higher risk of being overweight and obese than the boys. MUAC and TSF can adequately predict overweight and obesity among the selected students.