[Adiposity and fat distribution in preschool children from low socioeconomic levels in Caracas].
Epidemiological studies suggest that body fat distribution in adults is associated with chronical nontransmissible diseases, less is known during the growing years. The current study was undertaken to explore the relationship between level of fatness, fat patterning and some socioenvironmental variables in a group of 449 children aged 3 to 6, living in Caracas, who belong to the poorest Venezuelan socio-economic stratum. Data was analyzed taking nutritional status (weight-for-age), an index of socioeconomic conditions (ICSA), sex and age, as control variables. Using a multivariate analysis we derived first, two groups of households (G1 and G2) as determined by socioeconomic variables, to which principal component analysis was applied to elicited fatness and relative fat patterning through six skinfolds. First component identify level of adiposity, second extremity/trunk fatness, and third upper/lower pattern. Comparison of normal children with those of low weight-for-age showed differences in adiposity and in the upper/lower patterning as detected by the skinfolds involved in the differences: subscapular (-0.53) and supraspinale (0.32) in children with low weight-for-age; triceps (-0.46) and thigh (0.29) in those classified as normal. We found that gender, nutritional condition, environmental variables and age, were significant predictors of the differences in adiposity level; while age and households conditions, appear to be related to upper/lower patterning. The data equally suggests that body fat is more centrally distributed in boys with low weight-for-age. Since these patterns are indicators of risk in the ongoing years, we call tha attention about environmental circumstances.
Pérez
B M
BM
Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales, Universidad Central de Venezuela.
Vásquez
M
M
Landaeta-Jiménez
M
M
Rámirez
G
G
Ledezma
T
T
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D019521:Body Patterning; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014687:Venezuela