Underweight, overweight and obesity prevalence among adolescent school children in the Province of La Pampa, Argentina

Introduction. While different epidemiological studies as part of their survey include data of adolescents of the province of La Pampa regarding overweight and obesity prevalence, their experimental designs have certain limitations as far as the description of the regional reality. Objective. To obtain a diagnosis of the situation regarding the body composition profile among 13 year old adolescents in the Province of La Pampa. Population and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of male and female adolescents born in 2001. Weight, height, waist circumference, scapular and tricipital skinfolds were measured. Results. Of the 711 adolescents assessed, 5 subjects (0.7%) had a weight below the third percentile for age and sex. In relation to overweight and obesity, the sample values were 26.4% and 14.1%, respectively (27.5% and 16.9% of male; 25.5% and 11.7% of female adolescents). Of the total sample, 15.8% (16.5% of male and 15.6% of female adolescents) had waist circumference values compatible with abdominal obesity. As far as body fat values, 36.8% (37.4% of male and 36% of female adolescents) had above normal values according to skinfold thickness measurements. Conclusion. In contrast with the small prevalence of low weight in the region, overweight and obesity are a significant problem among the studied population in La Pampa.