Relationship between consumption of ultra-processed food and anthropometric parameters in school aged children ; Relación entre ingesta de alimentos ultra procesados y los parámetros antropométricos en escolares

Obesity and non-transmissible chronic diseases are becoming epidemic in Latin America, both in adults andchildren-adolescents. Objectives: To determine the relationship between consumption of ultra-processed food andanthropometric parameters in school age children of a school in El Agustino, Lima. Methods: A cross-sectional studywas carried-out applying a questionnaire about consumption of ultra-processed food and measuring anthropometricparameters in school children between 9-17 years of age during November 2017. High consumption was considered(≥ 5 points) and low consumption (< 5 points). Data on sociodemographic information (age in years and gender);weight; height; body mass index (BMI); body mass index for age; height for age and abdominal perimeter werecollected as well. Results: A high frequency of low consumption of ultra-processed food was found (58.18%in elementary school age and 60.5% in secondary school age children). A relationship of consumption of ultraprocessedfood with weight (p=0.009), BMI (p=0.017), BMI/age (p=0.031) and abdominal perimeter (p=0.033) wasfound among elementary school age children. Among secondary school age students, a relationship between ageand low consumption of ultra-processed food was found (p=0,008). Conclusions: Among elementary age studentsa relationship of consumption of ultra-processed food and weight, BMI, BMI/age and abdominal perimeter wasfound, while only a relationship with age was found among secondary age students. ; La obesidad y las enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles ya son epidémicas en toda América Latina, tanto en los adultos como en los niños y adolescentes. Objetivos: Determinar la relación entre la ingesta de alimentos ultra procesados y los parámetros antropométricos en escolares de una institución educativa de El Agustino, Lima. Material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo, transversal y observacional, con la aplicación de una encuesta sobre frecuencia de consumo de alimentos ultra procesados además de la evaluación de parámetros antropométricos en ...