Nutritional status of an economically-privileged convenience sample of urban children in Guatemala City.
BACKGROUND
The worldwide pandemic of overweight and obesity has now reached low-income tropical societies.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether overweight or obesity is present among children from middle-class Guatemala City homes.


METHODS
A total of 363 children, 173 boys and 190 girls aged 72-131 months, were included for height, weight, and abdominal circumference at its narrowest point (natural waist).


RESULTS
Overall, 58.6% of subjects presented a body mass index within the normal Center for Disease Control and Prevention curve limits, whereas 3.9% fell below this range (low weight), 17.4% were in the risk of overweight range, and 20.1% were classified as overweight. The mean natural waist circumference was 62.6+/-0.9 cm. The waist-circumference-to-height ratio had a median of 0.47, with 36.9% of all children having a waist-circumference-to-height ratio exceeding the proposed 0.5 upper limit.


CONCLUSIONS
Nutrition transition has reached the juvenile population of this Central American republic, at least in its urban, privileged groups.
Alvarado
Virginia J
VJ
Center for Studies of Sensory Impairment, Aging and Metabolism, 17a Avenida 16-89, Guatemala City, Guatemala. cessiam@guate.net.gt
Mayorga
Evelyn
E
Molina
Susana
S
Solomons
Noel W
NW
D000375:Aging; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006166:Guatemala / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012923:Social Class; D014505:Urban Population; D055105:Waist Circumference