Body composition and physical performance of schoolchildren in different institutions

Abstract

Introduction: Technological advances, poor diet, and physical inactivity are some of the factors responsible for the increase in the number of children with chronic degenerative diseases, a current public health problem in different institutions of private and public education. Aim: analyze, classify, and compare the body composition and physical performance of students from private and public schools in coastal cities in São Paulo. Methods: 117 children, 58 volunteers from public schools, and 59 volunteers from private schools 8 to 11 years old were evaluated. The following evaluations were performed: anthropometry: body mass, height, body mass index (BMI), and body fat percentage (%BF) obtained through skinfold measurements (tricipital and subscapular). Physical performance: flexibility, handgrip strength, abdominal strength, and endurance. Statistical analysis: after confirming the non-normality of the data, we opted for the Mann-Whitney U test for comparison between the groups and the Student’s t-test for comparison between the obtained value and the normative reference. Results: Children from the private school, when compared to those from the public school, revealed statistically significant differences for BMI, %BF, handgrip strength, and abdominal strength and endurance. Conclusion: These findings denote high values concerning the reference values for the anthropometric variables and values below the reference values for the physical performance variables, which can be harmful to the children’s health in growth and development phase.