Nutritional Status and Somatotype of School-Aged Youth (5–17 Years) Residing at Moderate Altitude in the Ambato Department of Catamarca Province, Argentina

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

American Journal of Human Biology Pub Date : 2025-04-04 DOI:10.1002/ajhb.70035

Rosario Elizabeth Pacheco Agüero, Lautaro Daniel Andrade, Norma Beatriz Dip, Delia Beatriz Lomaglio

{"title":"Nutritional Status and Somatotype of School-Aged Youth (5–17 Years) Residing at Moderate Altitude in the Ambato Department of Catamarca Province, Argentina","authors":"Rosario Elizabeth Pacheco Agüero, Lautaro Daniel Andrade, Norma Beatriz Dip, Delia Beatriz Lomaglio","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.70035","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Objectives</h3>\n \n <p>To analyze the somatotype and its relationship with nutritional status, determined by Body Mass Index (BMI), in populations from moderate altitude in the province of Catamarca, Argentina.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 139 schoolchildren aged 5–17 years (51.79% girls) from the rural localities of Las Juntas and Las Piedras Blancas (1609 m above sea level), Ambato Department, Catamarca province. Anthropometric measurements were taken to calculate BMI and the three somatotype components: endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy, according to Heath and Carter. Participants were classified based on WHO categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Overweight was observed in 16.5% of the participants. Obesity (7.5%) was present only in boys. The average somatotype profile was 3.9–2.5–2.2, indicating moderate adiposity, low musculoskeletal development, and relative linearity. Regression analysis showed that BMI increased with the first two components and decreased with the third. Differences in somatotype distribution by sex and age were observed, along with low concordance between obesity categories (BMI) and high endomorphy. Boys tended to exhibit more mesomorphic somatotypes, while girls showed predominantly endomorphic somatotypes as BMI increased.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>The analyzed population of children and adolescents showed a predominantly endomorphic somatotype with a low prevalence of obesity. The low concordance between nutritional status (BMI) and somatotype highlights the need for complementary criteria to evaluate body composition.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American Journal of Human Biology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajhb.70035","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ANTHROPOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

To analyze the somatotype and its relationship with nutritional status, determined by Body Mass Index (BMI), in populations from moderate altitude in the province of Catamarca, Argentina.

Methods

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 139 schoolchildren aged 5–17 years (51.79% girls) from the rural localities of Las Juntas and Las Piedras Blancas (1609 m above sea level), Ambato Department, Catamarca province. Anthropometric measurements were taken to calculate BMI and the three somatotype components: endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy, according to Heath and Carter. Participants were classified based on WHO categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity.

Results

Overweight was observed in 16.5% of the participants. Obesity (7.5%) was present only in boys. The average somatotype profile was 3.9–2.5–2.2, indicating moderate adiposity, low musculoskeletal development, and relative linearity. Regression analysis showed that BMI increased with the first two components and decreased with the third. Differences in somatotype distribution by sex and age were observed, along with low concordance between obesity categories (BMI) and high endomorphy. Boys tended to exhibit more mesomorphic somatotypes, while girls showed predominantly endomorphic somatotypes as BMI increased.

Conclusions

The analyzed population of children and adolescents showed a predominantly endomorphic somatotype with a low prevalence of obesity. The low concordance between nutritional status (BMI) and somatotype highlights the need for complementary criteria to evaluate body composition.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

American Journal of Human Biology 生物-生物学

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

13.80%

发文量

124

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The American Journal of Human Biology is the Official Journal of the Human Biology Association. The American Journal of Human Biology is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed, internationally circulated journal that publishes reports of original research, theoretical articles and timely reviews, and brief communications in the interdisciplinary field of human biology. As the official journal of the Human Biology Association, the Journal also publishes abstracts of research presented at its annual scientific meeting and book reviews relevant to the field. The Journal seeks scholarly manuscripts that address all aspects of human biology, health, and disease, particularly those that stress comparative, developmental, ecological, or evolutionary perspectives. The transdisciplinary areas covered in the Journal include, but are not limited to, epidemiology, genetic variation, population biology and demography, physiology, anatomy, nutrition, growth and aging, physical performance, physical activity and fitness, ecology, and evolution, along with their interactions. The Journal publishes basic, applied, and methodologically oriented research from all areas, including measurement, analytical techniques and strategies, and computer applications in human biology. Like many other biologically oriented disciplines, the field of human biology has undergone considerable growth and diversification in recent years, and the expansion of the aims and scope of the Journal is a reflection of this growth and membership diversification. The Journal is committed to prompt review, and priority publication is given to manuscripts with novel or timely findings, and to manuscripts of unusual interest.