Resumen

VASSALLO, Pietro et al. Association between simple anthropometric measures in children of different ethnicities: results from the OBEY-AD study . ALAN [online]. 2017, vol.67, n.1, pp.98-106. ISSN 0004-0622.

Body mass index (BMI) is considered a good predictor of overall adiposity, with significant sensitivities in identifying overweight children. Recently, it has been suggested that other anthropometric measures may also be employed as adequate surrogates for imaging techniques and BMI. However, it is well known that differences exist in body fat distribution among different ethnicities. The present study aims at assessing the relationship between anthropometric measures in children from different geographical regions. The OBEY-AD is an international study enrolling 2720 children (3-11 years of age), balanced by gender. Children underwent anthropometric assessment.The association between these anthropometric measures was estimated using linear mixed models. South-American children had a higher BMI and waist and hip circumference compared to European and Indian ones. Conversely, Indian children were found to be taller and to have a higher waisthip ratio than those of European and South-American kids, suggesting a different body composition of Indian children  compared to those of the other ethnic groups. Overall, this data provides further evidence on the differences in anthropometric measures between the Indian, South American and European child populations.

Palabras clave : Children; Body-Mass Index; Waist-Hip Ratio; Waist-to-Height Ratio; Ethnic Group..