Abstract

PEREZ, Betty M; RAMIREZ, Guillermo; LANDAETA-JIMENEZ, Maritza  and  VASQUEZ, Maura. Iconometrography of sexual dimorphism and proportionality according to nutritional status of children: El Hatillo, Caracas. An Venez Nutr [online]. 2010, vol.23, n.1, pp.10-17. ISSN 0798-0752.

Anthropometric measurements provide information regarding the effect of surrounding environment on the appearance of risk factors. This study analyzes sexual dimorphism, nutritional status and body composition of a group of Venezuelan children and adolescents, 6 to 14 years old from the El Hatillo community. An iconometrographic approach based on proportionality, Hull score and contrasted values, was used on all sample by age, gender and nutritional status. This last was assessed by the combination of weight for height, height for age and body mass index, using OMS and national reference values. Results revealed 23.9% and 17.1% with deficit and overweight.. Deficit was more marked on children less than 10 years, the male group on the other hand, showed the most important alteration on those frames variables, in particular at the femur width and sitting height. The weight of evidence at present study suggests that nutritional status assessment, requires body composition analysis in order to obtain a holistic picture of the situation in which, pathologies related to availability of food and life quality conditions are powerful determinants.

Keywords : Iconometrographic; malnutrition; phantom; proportionality; child; sexual dimorphism.