Anthropometric assessment of schoolchildren from the La Mancha-Centro health area. Comparison with the Spanish Cross-Sectional Growth Study 2010.

Objectives: To determine weight, height and body mass index (BMI) of schoolchildren from the La Mancha-Centro health area and compare them with those determined by the Spanish Cross-sectional Growth Study 2010 (SCGS-2010).
Methods: Cross-sectional study of 954 schoolchildren aged 6-12 years. Mean, standard deviation, and percentile distributions of weight, height, and BMI by gender and age were obtained. Differences in each 6-month age group were analyzed.
Results: There was a progressive increase in BMI with age, which was significant in girls from nine years of age on and in boys from 8.5 years on. From age 10, average BMI was 2.3 kg/m ² higher than at younger ages (p < 0.001). The biggest difference between genders occurred at age 12: 2 ± 0.98 kg/m ² higher in boys (p = 0.042). Overall, no significant differences were found in weight, height and BMI vs. SCGS-2010, although mean weight of male children from La Mancha-Centro aged between 8.5 and 11.5 years was 3.9 kg higher than that of the rest of Spanish male children.
Conclusions: Anthropometric parameters of schoolchildren from La Mancha-Centro do not significantly differ from national standards; however, preadolescent males from La Mancha-Centro weigh almost 4 kg more.
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