Title
Stunting and physical fitness. The peruvian health and optimist growth study
Date Issued
02 May 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Santos C.
Vasconcelos O.
Pereira S.
Garganta R.
Tani G.
Hedeker D.
Katzmarzyk P.T.
Maia J.
Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle
Publisher(s)
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Abstract
Stunting, defined as linear growth retardation, is a serious public health problem in developing countries. We aimed to (1) describe the prevalence of stunting in Peruvian youth living in three geographical regions, and to (2) determine height and physical fitness (PF) differences between stunted and normal-growth children across age and sex. We sampled 7918 subjects (7074 normal-growth and 844 stunted), aged 6–15 year, from sea-level, Amazon and high-altitude regions of Peru. PF was assessed with standardized tests, and stunting was computed following World Health Organization (WHO) standards. A two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was used. Results showed that stunting prevalence increased with age (from 6% at 6 year to 18.4% at 15 year in girls, and 9.3% at 6 year to 16.4% at 15 year in boys); was higher in boys (12.3%) than in girls (9.3%), and was higher in the Amazon region (25.3%), followed by high-altitude (24.3%) and sea-level (8.1%). Stunting had a negative overall impact on girls’ and boys’ statures. Further, the age-by-stunting interactions were statistically significant for both sexes, and significant differences in height varied to some degree across age. Stunted children performed worse in handgrip and standing long jump, but outperformed their normal-growth peers in shuttle-run (only boys), and in 12 min run. Further, significant differences in the age-by-stunting interaction occurred in all PF tests, varying to some degree across age. In conclusion, stunting significantly affects Peruvian youth’s PF levels, and this influence is sex-, age-and PF test-specific.
Volume
17
Issue
10
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencias del deporte y la aptitud física Ciencias de la educación
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85084964879
PubMed ID
Source
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
ISSN of the container
16617827
Sponsor(s)
Funding: This research was funded by Foundation for Science and Technology Portugal, Grant/ Award Number SFRH/BD/141112/2018 and POCH of European Social Found (FSE).
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus