A.L. Toriola

Anthropometrically determined nutritional status of urban primary schoolchildren in Makurdi, Nigeria

BackgroundNo information exists on the nutritional status of primary school children residing in Makurdi, Nigeria. It is envisaged that the data could serve as baseline data for future studies, as well as inform public health policy. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of malnutrition among urban school children in Makurdi, Nigeria.MethodsHeight and weight of 2015 (979 boys and 1036 girls), aged 9-12 years, attending public primary school in Makurdi were measured and the body mass index (BMI) calculated. Anthropometric indices of weight-for-age (WA) and height-for-age (HA) were used to estimate the childrens nutritional status. The BMI thinness classification was also calculated.ResultsUnderweight (WAZ < -2) and stunting (HAZ < -2) occurred in 43.4% and 52.7%, respectively. WAZ and HAZ mean scores of the children were -0.91(SD = 0.43) and -0.83 (SD = 0.54), respectively. Boys were more underweight (48.8%) than girls (38.5%), and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.024; p < 0.05). Conversely, girls tend to be more stunted (56.8%) compared to boys (48.4%) (p = 0.004; p < 0.05). Normal WAZ and HAZ occurred in 54.6% and 44.2% of the children, respectively. Using the 2007 World Health Organisation BMI thinness classification, majority of the children exhibited Grade 1 thinness (77.3%), which was predominant at all ages (9-12 years) in both boys and girls. Gender wise, 79.8% boys and 75.0% girls fall within the Grade I thinness category. Based on the WHO classification, severe malnutrition occurred in 31.3% of the children.ConclusionsThere is severe malnutrition among the school children living in Makurdi. Most of the children are underweight, stunted and thinned. As such, providing community education on environmental sanitation and personal hygienic practices, proper child rearing, breast-feeding and weaning practices would possibly reverse the trends.

Growth status and menarcheal age among adolescent school girls in Wannune, Benue State, Nigeria

BackgroundMenarcheal age is a sensitive indicator of environmental conditions during childhood. The aim of study is to determine the age at menarche and growth status in adolescents in a rural area of Tarka, Wannune, Nigeria.MethodsData on 722 female students (aged 12-18 years) were collected in February 2009. Height and weight were measured. Body mass index (BMI; kg m-2) was used as an index of relative weight.ResultsMean and median menarcheal age calculated by probit analysis were 13.02 (SD 3.0) (95% CI: 13.02-13.07), and age 13.00 (SD 2.8) (95% CI: 12.98-13.04), respectively. Girls who reach menarche are significantly heavier and taller with higher BMIs than those of their pre-menarcheal peers.ConclusionThe age of menarche is probably still declining in Nigeria. Although BMI is an important factor in the onset of menstruation, some other unmeasured environmental variables may be implicated in this population.

Effects of a mat pilates programme on body composition in elderly women

BACKGROUND With ageing, the ability to mobilize fat is reduced and this, coupled with gradual decrease in lean body mass (LBM) from lessened exercise, allows for an increased body fat percentage (%BF). Exercising is considered a key to maintaining an appropriate body mass (BM), as it improves fat oxidation, while maintaining LBM. Although the effects of endurance and/or resistance training on fat mass (FM) and LBM in the elderly have well been established, limited data are forthcoming regarding the effects of Pilates as a training modality on these variables in the elderly. OBJECTIVE The present study was therefore conducted to determine the effects of a mat Pilates programme on body fat in elderly women. METHODS Fifty sedentary, apparently healthy females aged 60 years and older were randomly assigned a control (CG, n = 25) or an intervention (IG, n = 25) group. The IG took part in an eight-week progressive mat Pilates exercise programme, three times weekly while the CG were instructed to maintain their normal daily activities throughout the eight-week experimental period. All subjects underwent pre- and post-test in which FM and LBM were assessed. RESULTS Eight weeks of mat Pilates demonstrated a significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in % BF (p = 0.016) and FM (p = 0.038), with a significant increase in LBM (p = 0.006), while not showing any significant changes (p ≥ 0.05) in BM (p = 0.979) and BMI (p = 0.992). The CG, however, did not produce any significant (p ≥ 0.05) changes in any of the tested anthropometric variables (BM: p = 0.266; BMI: p = 0.123; % BF: p = 0.516; FM: p = 0.937 and LBM: p = 0.522) after completion of the eight-week Pilates programme. CONCLUSION An eight-week mat Pilates exercise programme may contradict or even reverse some of the most serious consequences of ageing associated with an increased fat mass and reduced lean body mass in elderly females.

Prevalence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity in Benue State, Nigeria

Objective  To evaluate demographic variation in the prevalence of overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) among 3240 children and adolescents (girls: n = 1714; boys: n = 1526) aged 9–16 years attending primary and secondary schools in Benue State of Nigeria.

Stability of somatotypes in 4 to 10 year-old rural South African girls.

In 1996, a mixed Ellisras longitudinal study (ELS) was initiated to assess the stability of somatotypes in 408 girls who comprised 99 pre-school and 309 primary school children in Ellisras rural area in the Northern Province of South Africa. The childrens somatotype was assessed using the Heath-Carter anthropometric method. Anthropometric dimensions were taken according to the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). The most stable pre-school and primary school girl had migratory distances (MDs) of 2.6 and 3.4, respectively, while the least stable pre-school and primary school girl had MDs of 17.9 and 24.4, respectively. The mean somatotype of the pre-school children was mesomorph-ectomorph throughout the complete age range, while the mean somatotype of primary school girls was mesomorph-ectomorph for all the age groups except for the 9.5 years group at which it was in the balanced ectomorph. The inter-age partial correlations for endomorphy and ectomorphy were high and significant, but insignificant with regard to mesomorphy.

Overweight, obesity and underweight in rural black South African children

Abstract Background: The objective was to estimate the prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight conditions among rural black children in South Africa. A cross-sectional study was undertaken. The setting was Mankweng and Toronto, both rural settlements in Capricorn district, Limpopo province, South Africa. Participants were 1172 school children (541 boys and 631 girls) aged 10–16 years. Method: The prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight was examined, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) body mass index (BMI) cut-off points. Height and body weight were measured using standard techniques. Results were analysed with student t-test statistics, with probability level set at p-value ≤ 0.05. Results: The percentage of children who were at risk of overweight were higher in girls (11%) than boys (9.1%), whereas obesity occurred more among the boys (5.5%), compared with the girls (4.4%). Applying the CDC cut-off points of 5th < percentile to define underweight, 25 (4.6%) and 35 (5.2%) of boys and girls respectively were underweight. Conclusion: Similar to previous studies, this study indicates that overweight and obesity are high among South African children, even in rural settings. The study also demonstrates that underweight is prevalent among the sampled children. This supports the notion of a double burden of disease in developing countries.

Screening for body-weight disorders in Nigerian children using contrasting definitions.

Several indices for body‐weight disorders exist in scientific literature, but it is inconclusive whether or not they can yield comparable results when applied to Nigerian children. The prevalence of weight disorders in Nigerian children was examined using the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) body mass index (BMI) for age charts and the International Obesity Task Forces (IOTF) age‐ and sex‐specific BMI cut‐off points. Participants were 2015 pupils (979 boys and 1036 girls) aged 9–12 years, attending 19 public primary schools in Makurdi, Nigeria. Stature and body mass were measured using standard techniques. Results were analysed using student t‐test and Chi‐squared statistics, with the probability level set at ≤0.05. CDCs BMI charts categorized 2.1%, 1.6% (boys) and 3.2%, 2.8% (girls) as overweight and obese respectively. Corresponding data for the IOTFs BMI charts were 1.7%, 0.9% (boys) and 2.6%, 2.0% (girls). CDC cut‐off points indicated higher prevalence of overweight and obesity, thus suggesting the need for a single definition for evaluating measurements of body mass‐for‐stature in the children. However, more disconcerting is the fact that CDC charts showed a high prevalence of underweight for the boys (87.1%) and girls (79.7%). Prevalent underweight conditions in our sample need urgent intervention. The IOTF method is limited in its utility to identify children who are underweight and may be at risk of growth faltering.

Body mass index, overweight, and blood pressure among adolescent schoolchildren in Limpopo province, South Africa

OBJETIVO: Este estudio evalua la relacion entre indice de masa corporal, sobrepeso y presion arterial en adolescentes rurales sudafricanos. METODOS: La muestra incluyo a 1.172 ninos de 10-16 anos de edad (541 del sexo masculino y 631 del sexo femenino). La estatura, la masa corporal y los pliegues cutaneos se midieron utilizando procedimientos estandares. El sobrepeso se definio segun el indice de masa corporal para sexo y edad. Se monitorizo la presion arterial por tres veces en cada nino utilizando aparatos electronicos validados (Omron HEM-705 CP, Omron, Tokio, Japon). Se determino la hipertension cuando los promedios de la presion sistolica o diastolica, calculados con base en las tres mediciones de presion arterial, fueron ≥percentil 90 para edad y sexo. Se calcularon estadisticas descriptivas para todas las variables. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de sobrepeso fue del 5,5% en los ninos y 4,4% en las ninas. El porcentaje de adolescentes con presion arterial sistolica >percentil 90 oscilo entre el 2,3 y el 5,9%. La probabilidad de desarrollo de hipertension entre los jovenes fue notable a los 10 anos tanto en los ninos como en las ninas (0,2 y 0,1%, respectivamente) y oscilo entre el 0,2 y el 1,7% en los ninos y entre el 0,1 y el 1,2% en las ninas. Colectivamente, la prevalencia de hipertension fue del 4,1 y el 2,8% en ninos y ninas, respectivamente. La presion arterial estuvo positivamente correlacionada con estatura, masa corporal, indice de masa corporal, grasa corporal y suma de pliegues cutaneos (p=0,00). CONCLUSIONES: La presion arterial se elevo con la edad tanto en los ninos como en las ninas, y estuvo positivamente correlacionada con estatura, masa corporal, indice de masa corporal, grasa corporal y suma de pliegues cutaneos. La medicion de rutina de la presion arterial como parte del examen fisico de escolares es crucial para la prevencion precoz y la implementacion de programas de intervencion.

Índice de massa corpórea, sobrepeso e pressão arterial em escolares na província de Limpopo, África do Sul

OBJETIVO: Este estudio evalua la relacion entre indice de masa corporal, sobrepeso y presion arterial en adolescentes rurales sudafricanos. METODOS: La muestra incluyo a 1.172 ninos de 10-16 anos de edad (541 del sexo masculino y 631 del sexo femenino). La estatura, la masa corporal y los pliegues cutaneos se midieron utilizando procedimientos estandares. El sobrepeso se definio segun el indice de masa corporal para sexo y edad. Se monitorizo la presion arterial por tres veces en cada nino utilizando aparatos electronicos validados (Omron HEM-705 CP, Omron, Tokio, Japon). Se determino la hipertension cuando los promedios de la presion sistolica o diastolica, calculados con base en las tres mediciones de presion arterial, fueron ≥percentil 90 para edad y sexo. Se calcularon estadisticas descriptivas para todas las variables. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de sobrepeso fue del 5,5% en los ninos y 4,4% en las ninas. El porcentaje de adolescentes con presion arterial sistolica >percentil 90 oscilo entre el 2,3 y el 5,9%. La probabilidad de desarrollo de hipertension entre los jovenes fue notable a los 10 anos tanto en los ninos como en las ninas (0,2 y 0,1%, respectivamente) y oscilo entre el 0,2 y el 1,7% en los ninos y entre el 0,1 y el 1,2% en las ninas. Colectivamente, la prevalencia de hipertension fue del 4,1 y el 2,8% en ninos y ninas, respectivamente. La presion arterial estuvo positivamente correlacionada con estatura, masa corporal, indice de masa corporal, grasa corporal y suma de pliegues cutaneos (p=0,00). CONCLUSIONES: La presion arterial se elevo con la edad tanto en los ninos como en las ninas, y estuvo positivamente correlacionada con estatura, masa corporal, indice de masa corporal, grasa corporal y suma de pliegues cutaneos. La medicion de rutina de la presion arterial como parte del examen fisico de escolares es crucial para la prevencion precoz y la implementacion de programas de intervencion.

The effects of an enhanced quality Physical Education programme on the physical activity levels of Grade 7 learners in Potchefstroom, South Africa

Background: The absence of Physical Education (PE) from the South African school curriculum before its reintroduction in recent years contributed to health concerns regarding the low physical activity (PA) levels of children and adolescents in South Africa. Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of a once-a-week enhanced quality PE programme on the PA levels of South African Grade 7 learners. Methods: Using a pre-test and post-test control-group design, 110 Grade 7 learners aged 12–13 years (experimental school, n = 40; control schools, n = 70) from two primary schools in Potchefstroom, South Africa, were studied. They participated in a 12-week PE intervention programme based on the guidelines of the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement, which allocates one hour per week to PE teaching. The intervention included five quality-enhancing components, namely well-trained teachers, homework activities, a reward system, hand-made apparatus and the monitoring of activity intensity. In the experimental school, 40 learners were randomly assigned from the total Grade 7 class (n = 124) to the experimental group, while two control groups (n = 37 and n = 33) were used, one from the same school as the experimental school and the other from a different school. Additionally, to control for PE teacher interaction effect, the experimental group was divided into 4 experimental sub-groups of 10 learners each, which were taught by 4 different PE teachers, and the pre-test and post-test data of these experimental sub-groups were also analysed. Childrens PA levels were measured before and after the intervention using a validated Childrens Leisure Activities Study Survey questionnaire. The Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention programme. Results: No significant differences were found within the experimental group between the 4 experimental sub-groups and between the 2 control groups at pre- and post-test measurements (p > .05). There was a significant effect for the experimental group as a whole, as results of the total experimental group showed statistically significant increases in moderate PA (ES = 0.47; p = .014), vigorous PA (ES = 0.48; p = .012) and total PA (ES = 0.51; p = .008) as well as decreases in sedentary behaviours (ES = 0.39; p = .041) after the 12-week intervention programme, whereas no significant changes were found in the control group. Statistically significant improvements were also found in all 4 experimental sub-groups between pre- and post-tests for the time spent in moderate PA (p = .028–.05; ES = 0.23–0.64), vigorous PA (p = .018–.036; ES = 0.23–0.63), total PA (p = .017–.05; ES = 0.30–0.68) and sedentary time (p = .014–.049; ES = 0.26–0.66), whereas no marked changes were observed among the two control groups, indicating no PE teacher interaction effect on the results. Conclusions: The enhanced quality PE programme can be used as a valuable framework for PE implementation targeted at promoting learners’ PA levels, even in the presence of restricted time allocation, and limited teaching and learning resources.