title: Assessment of nutritional status of selected group of children living in urban and rural areas in Upper Silesia, in the intervening five years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the paper is to assess changes in nutritional status of a selected group of children from urban and rural environment in Upper Silesia in the intervening 5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted twice - in 2003 and during the school year 2008/2009, and involved children from the town of Bytom and from the village Boronów. To assess the nutritional status, the following measurements were used - weight, height and thickness of subcutaneous fold. Body Mass Index (BMI) was also calculated. The results obtained were referred to the appropriate percentile charts. Measurement values, which were located below the 10th percentile or above the 90th percentile were treated as incorrect. Statistical analysis included only those children who participated in the I and II survey. The frequency of the anthropometric measurements and BMI exceeding the accepted limits of norms in both studied environments and between them, 5 years after the previous evaluation, were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both environments, the number of pupils whose body mass exceeded the value of the 90th percentile increased. The number of pupils whose body mass was lower than the 10th percentile also increased in the city, but decreased in the country. Considering BMI, the percentage of children located above the norm increased as well in comparison to the first study. In addition, it was also found that the thickness of subcutaneous skin-fold difference between the studied communities was significant in both the first (p = 0.020) and the second survey (p = 0.015), as well as in each environment, after 5 years since the previous evaluation (Bytom: p = 0.001; Boronów: p = 0.32).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 5 years (2003-2008), the incidence of overweight of pupils increased in both groups. The percentage of pupils who weighed less than 10th percentile increased to a greater extent in urban environment than in rural areas.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Nursing Department in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Witanowska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Obuchowicz
authors.forename: Aneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warmuz-Wancisiewicz
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Szczurek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011044:Poland; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*