An assessment of Body Mass Index and sensitive period for overweight development in Macao students at primary school age

Walter King Yan Ho; Md. Dilsad Ahmed; Chi Ian Leong; Patrick Chan; Rudolph Leon Van Niekerk; Fan Huang; Jessica Chen; Nikon Chan; João Silva; Patrick Ip

doi:10.2478/anre-2019-0003

Authors

Walter King Yan Ho Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau
Md. Dilsad Ahmed Faculty of Education, Department of Elementary Education, University of Alberta, Canada
Chi Ian Leong Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau
Patrick Chan Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau
Rudolph Leon Van Niekerk Department of Human Movement Science, University of Fort Hare, South Africa
Fan Huang Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau
Jessica Chen Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, USA
Nikon Chan Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau
João Silva Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of Trás-os-Montes Alto Douro, Portugal
Patrick Ip Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2478/anre-2019-0003

Keywords:

body mass index, weight status, school-age children

Abstract

The concomitant risk of physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle development causing various non-communicable diseases is recognized worldwide. Therefore, development of strategies to form a concrete public health policy overcoming this problem is most important. This study observed the distribution and changes of Body Mass Index (BMI) over six years among boys and girls. Data on children height and weight and their BMI were collected. A total of 5369 (3368 male and 2001 female) children were recruited from 10 schools in Macao. The children were 6 years old in 2008 and turned 11 in 2013. Statistical analyses involved descriptive statistics, t-test, and a Chi-squared test. The findings indicated greater BMI among males than females across all age at the 0.05 level of significance, and the ages of 8 and 9 seemed to be a sensitive period for an increase in overweight and obesity. The results indicate the need to have focused strategies and structured interventions for males at the critical ages from 8 to 9 years.

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