Biljana Trajkovski1, Sanja Ljubičić1, Tena Pejčić1, Grgur Višić2
1International University of Rijeka, Faculty of Teacher Education, Rijeka, Croatia
2University of Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology, Department of General
and Applied Kinesiology, Zagreb, Croatia
Analysis of Differential Indicators for Childhood Obesity Risk Assessment
Sport Mont 2025, 23(1), 105-109 | DOI: 10.26773/smj.250216
Abstract
Analysis of children's morphological characteristics is crucial for monitoring their growth, maintaining general health and identifying problems such as overweight or obesity. The aim of this study was to determine the differentiation of obesity risk indicators by gender and chronological age in children of early school age. The study involved 357 children (8.63±1.15 years) of whom there were 180 boys (8.79±1.14 years) and 177 girls (8.46±1.13 years) from three primary schools in Rijeka. A set of variables in which the research analysis was carried out, three indicators of the subjects' body structure were calculated: body mass index (BMI), subcutaneous fat (FAT)and waist-hip ratio index (WHR). The results indicate that indicators of risky health conditions such as body mass index, subcutaneous fat and WHR index are increasingly stable and serious with the increase in the chronological age of children. The MANOVA for the total sample indicated a significant effect of class on the combined dependent variables (BMI, FAT, WHR, WHtR) with Wilks' Lambda=0.628; F(12, 894.55)=11.61; p<0.001. A significant difference between girls and boys was also found. Girls have lower BMI values (t(345)=3.12; p=.002), FAT (t(279)=2.41; p=.017), WHR (t(353)=3.58; p=.000) as well as WHtR values (t(344)=-3.07; p=.002) compared to boys. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that as children’s chronological age increases, obesity risk indicators such as BMI, subcutaneous fat, and WHR become more pronounced, with boys exhibiting higher values in all indicators compared to girls.
Keywords
children, obesity, health, education
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