Valoración del bajo peso, sobrepeso y obesidad de los niños/as de la Escuela Fiscal Gabriel Cevallos García del cantón Cuenca 2010

Abstract

Objective: To determinethe prevalence of boys and girls at “Gabriel Cevallos Garcia” School in Cuenca who are underweight, overweight, or obese. Key indicators for the study were weight/age and height/age. Statistics from the Ministry of Public Health were used as were Nelson´s formulas and Body Mass Index. It was according to Cronk C., Roche A AM J Clin´s percentiles. Methodology and Materials: A descriptive transversal analysis was conducted. This study aims to determine the prevalence of boys and girls between 6 and 12 years old who are underweight, overweight, or obese. The sample (N=327) was taken from “Gabriel Cevallos Garcia” School in Cuenca during the 2010-2011 school year. Students enrolled in years two through seven were included in the sample. Data collection was done through the weight and height control. Analysis of key indicators (weight/age, height/age, gender) was completed using growing statistics of MOPH and Nelson´s formulas. The Body Mass Index was calculated using percentile values taken from Cronk C., Roche A AM J Clin. Results suggest that 16.85% of the boys and girls aged 6 to 12 at “Gabriel Cevallos Garcia” School in Cuenca are underweight, 6.45% are overweight and 7.7% are obese. Conclusions: The study suggests that underweight persists in boys and girls at the school. However, there are problems with overweight and obesity throughout Ecuador.