Journal of Public Health | Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 403 411 | doi:10.

1093/pubmed/fdq079 | Advance Access Publication 12 October 2010

Nutritional status of school-aged children of Buenos Aires,

Argentina: data using three references
I. Kovalskys 1*, C. Rausch Herscovici 2, M.J. De Gregorio 3
1

International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Argentina, Buenos Aires 1509, Argentina
Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires 1509, Argentina
Department of Anthropology, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1406, Argentina
*Address correspondence to I. Kovalskys, E-mail: ikovalskys@ilsi.org.ar
2
3

Background Childhood overweight has been reported in developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a
standardized classification system in order to facilitate comparison across countries and studies. This study aims to assess the prevalence of
overweight, obesity and thinness in a group of 10 11-year-old children using three references [the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2000,
the the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) 2000 and the WHO, 2007].
Methods A representative sample of 1588 children (771 boys and 817 girls) resulted from the randomization of 80 public schools from
Buenos Aires.
Results The prevalence of overweight, including obesity, for the whole sample was 35.5, 27.9 and 27.9%, respectively, depending on the
reference used. For overweight, no gender differences were observed regardless of the reference used. Obesity was significantly more frequent
among boys, and this remained consistent for the three references. Thinness frequency was 1.6 and 2.5% for the boys and 2.7 and 4.5% for
the girls when considering the WHO and CDC cut-off points, respectively, and frequency increased in both boys and girls for each age group.
Conclusion There is a high prevalence of overweight and obese cases among school-aged children of Buenos Aires regardless of the
reference used. Epidemiological data provided by this study suggests the urgent need to design preventive interventions.
Keywords children, obesity, public health

Introduction
In most countries worldwide, childhood overweight and
obesity has increased over the past decades. Latin America
appears to have followed that trend, even though in other
countries recent studies have demonstrated a stabilization
and even a decrease of the prevalence of overweight and
obesity in children.1 Although reasons for this level off are
still unclear, it seems likely that public health interventions
coupled with an awareness of the importance of the obesity
epidemic, have had a positive impact on this scenario, underscoring once again the value of prevalence studies. In Latin
America the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the
bigger cities has been estimated to be 50 and 15%, respectively, and the increasing trend among Latin American children is disquieting as attested by reports of Chile, Uruguay
and Brazil.2 5

A high prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight

cases has been reported in developing countries undergoing
nutritional transition.4,6,7 This widely described epidemiological phenomenon includes lower rates of under-nutrition,
increased rates of low height for age (stunting) and a higher
prevalence of overweight and obesity. Studies have reported
a coexistence of overweight and stunting in some countries
of Latin America8 11 where nutritional transition has been
evolving for the last decades. However, most of these
studies either targeted pre-school children or comprised

I. Kovalskys , Chair of Nutrition, Obesity and Physical Activity Committee

C. Rausch Herscovici , Professor, Family Science Masters Program
M.J. De Gregorio , Statistician

# The Author 2010, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved.

403

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A B S T R AC T

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Goals

This research reports the results of an epidemiological study

aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight, obesity
and thinness in a group of 10 11-year-old schoolchildren
from Buenos Aires, Argentina. An additional goal was to
compare the performance of three references (CDC, 2000;
IOTF, 2000 and WHO, 2007) with regard to the results.

Methods
Sample

The study was conducted with the approval of the Ministry

of Education of the Province of Buenos Aires and of the
Secretary of Education of Buenos Aires City. The eld work
took place between July and November of 2005. A representative sample of 1588 children, ages 10 11 resulted from
the randomization of 80 public schools from Buenos Aires

City and Greater Buenos Aires (its outskirts). Two independent samples were taken (representing each of the aforementioned zones); they were subdivided into 80 census fractions
and randomized taking into consideration the proportional
probabilities of the population according to the National
Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) and covering the
socioeconomic spectrum of the public schools of this area.
Primary public schools included in the census fractions were
randomized and all fth grade children were invited to participate. The resulting sample proportionally represented the
socioeconomic prole of the studied population.
In Argentina elementary school is compulsory and in
Buenos Aires there is 98.09% compliance.22 However, for
some children, chronological age is higher than the expected
for their level of schooling. The children who attend public
schools in Buenos Aires City represent both middle and
lower middle class. In Greater Buenos Aires they represent
both lower class and under the poverty line and school
admittance is determined by the house address. This study
included one of the most densely populated regions of
Argentina; one in which children living near the school
share the same social conditions. Data from this study is
part of a major research project, which included information
of weight, height and health condition of parents; demographic data, analysis of intake of children as well as their
physical and sedentary activity and can be obtained from the
main author.
Anthropometric measurements and nutritional
assessment

Height and weight were measured in light clothing and

without shoes. Weight was taken with a digital scale and portable SECA beam scales were used as standard (Seca Onda
model 843; Seca Corp., Hanover). Height was taken with a
wall-mounted bodymeter SECA 208 (Hamburg, Germany).
Most children were measured in the morning (n 1457),
but no signicant differences were found with children who
attended school in the afternoon based on chi square at a
probability level P 0.92.
Overweight, obesity and thinness cut-off points
References used are all based on BMI cut-off points, which
are gender and age specic (i) for the CDC growth charts,23
the BMI cut-off points are 85th and 95th percentiles for
overweight and obesity, respectively; thinness cut-off percentile is less than 5th percentile; (ii) the IOTF reference is
based on linking the BMI of 25 and 30 at the age of 18 for
classication of childhood and adolescent overweight and
obesity, respectively; (iii) for the WHO reference, percentiles

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small non-representative samples9,10 and information regarding school-aged children and adolescents is scarce.
Data of overweight and obesity rates in Argentine schoolage children between 6 and 12 are limited and a body mass
index (BMI) reference based on a local sample has yet to be
established. The only national study based on school-age
population reported 20.8% of overweight and 5.4% of
obese subjects in a sample of 1289 youngsters aged 10
19.12 However, that study was not community based, as the
sample comprised outpatient children who visited the
primary care physician for any reason other than an eating
disorder.
Because comparison across countries and studies remains
hindered, the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the need to study child and adolescent obesity
around the world, based on a standardized classication
system.13,14 Taking into account that the health consequences of overweight in childhood may vary, mainly due to
substantial BMI changes during this growing stage,14 16 it
has been suggested that cut-off points for children and adolescents should be gender and age specic.17,18 To this date,
three major reference charts are being utilized. They are the
Center for Disease Control (CDC) growth charts for the
USA,19 the WHO 2007 reference,13,20 and the International
Obesity Task Force (IOTF) reference.21 The validity of
these references for comparing different populations, as well
as their appropriateness for classifying overweight and
obesity in developing countries, remains to be ascertained. A
comparison of the three references, based on data from
Argentine children and adolescents has not yet been
reviewed.

N U TR I TI O NA L STAT U S O F SC H O O L - AG ED C H I LD R EN O F BU EN O S A I R ES

expressed in z scores determine the cut-off points for overweight and obesity at 85th and 98th percentiles, or 1 SD
and 2 SD, respectively. The thinness cut-off point is 2
SD and 3 SD for severe thinness (WHO Development of
a pattern of growth of schoolchildren and adolescents). A
third thinness reference developed by Cole et al. is based on
centile curves that were drawn to pass through the cut-off
of BMI 17 at 18 years. The resulting curves were averaged
to provide age and sex specic cut-off points from 2 to 18
years.24

Table 1 Weight, height, BMI by age and gender of 1588

Statistical analysis

Height (cm),

Results
Characteristics of the sample

The initial sample consisted of 1693 children from the 80

assessed schools, 832 boys (49%) and 861 girls (51%). An
average of 25 children per school was estimated, with the
aim of surveying a total of 2000 children. The average
number of children in each school grade is 25; school
grades pertaining to each school were randomized. The
response rate was 83% (reasons for exclusion were either:
failure to sign the informed consent, school absence or
refusal to participate). Ninety-four percent of the children
were between 10.0 and 11.9 years old, which is the expected
age for 5th graders, a 59% of the children were between 10
and 10.9 years old. The remaining 6% (n 105) exceeded
the age rate of the protocol and thus were excluded from
the nal sample, which resulted in 1.588 children (771 boys
and 817 girls). The 10 year old age group comprised 447
boys (28.15%) and 493 girls (31.05%) The 11-year-old age
group comprised 324 boys (20.4%) and 324 girls (20.4%).
Most children attended school during the morning shift
(n 1221), 15% of children attended double-shift school
(n 236) and, a small group attended school only in the
afternoon (n 131).
Prevalence data

Table 1 shows mean standard deviations for weight, height

and BMI according to gender and age. Weight and height

schoolchildren of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Age (years)a

Boys

Girls

10

11

10

11

447

324

493

324

Weight (kg),

38.5 (9.3)

40.4 (9.8)

38.3 (9.0)

141 (6.3)

144.7 (6.9)

142.2 (6.7)*

19.2 (3.7)

19.1 (3.6)

18.8 (3.4)

40.4 (9.9)

mean (SD)
145.5 (6.9)*

mean (SD)
BMI (kg/m2),

18.9 (3.6)

mean (SD)
a

Age groups: 10 years (10.0 10.9 years old) and 11 years (11.0 11.9

years old).
*Significant differences between genders P  0.05 (ANOVA).

increased with age in both sexes. Mean BMI values were

higher among boys compared with girls in both age groups
and did not reach any statistical differences. The prevalence
of overweight, including obesity, for the whole sample was
35.5, 27.9 and 27.9% depending on the reference used
(WHO, CDC and IOTF, respectively).
Frequency of weight status categories (obesity, overweight
including obesity and thinness) are given by reference,
gender and age in Table 2. For overweight cases, including
obesity frequencies, no gender differences existed for the
11-year-old age group regardless of the reference; however,
a signicant difference existed for the 10-year-old age group
when using WHO (41.5% for boys versus 32.4% for girls,
P 0.03) and CDC references (33.9% for boys versus
25.1% for girls, P 0.03). Through age groups, the highest
BMI values were observed in the 10-year-old group according to the three references. For obesity, consistent signicant
differences were observed for the 10-year-old boys using
either WHO (P 0.00), CDC (P 0.00) or IOTF (P
0.01) reference. This difference was not present at
11-year-old boys except for WHO (P 0.03). The best congruence between references was obtained analyzing genderstandardized frequencies of obesity and overweight (when
separating these categories). Results are shown in Fig. 1.
Table 3 shows condence interval values (CI). For overweight, no gender differences were observed regardless of
the reference used. For obesity, the highest values were
observed in boys, who reached signicant differences when
compared with the girls and this remained consistent for the

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The data were analyzed using SPSS 10.0; quantitative data

are presented as mean+standard deviations (SDs); qualitative data are presented as percentages. Age and other group
comparisons were analyzed with one-way ANOVA; nonparametric variables with chi square. The signicant level
was set at a probability level of P , 0.05. Height for age was
calculated with WHO Anthro Plus25; they were expressed
in z scores and percentiles.44,49

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Table 2 Prevalence of obesity, overweight, including obesity (CDC, IOTF and WHO) and thinness (CDC, WHO and Cole) both by age and gender.

Reference

Cut-off values

Agea
N
Obesity

Overweight (including obesity)

Girls

Prevalence (%)

Prevalence (%)

10

11

10

11

447

324

493

324

CDCb

95th

15.7*

14.2

7.5

IOTFc

30

10.5*

7.1

5.0

5.0

WHOd

2 SD

19.3*

15.7*

10.7

10.2

CDCb

85th

33.9*

27.8

25.1

23.4

IOTFc

25

32.1

25.6

27.5

24.8

WHOd

1 SD

41.5*

36.4

32.4

30.5

CDCe

5th

1.8*

3.4

5.3

Colef

22 SD

1.3

1.8

2.4

2.8

WHOd

22 SD

1.3

1.9

2.4

3.1

9.6

Age groups: 10 years (10.0 10.9 years old) and 11 years (11.0 11.9 years old).

CDC reference cut-off values at 95th and 85th percentiles of BMI by age and gender for obesity and overweight, respectively.

IOTF cut-off values defined over BMI 30 and 25 kg/m2 at the age of 18 for obesity and overweight, respectively.

WHO reference cut-offs values at 1 SD and 2 SD for age and gender for overweight and obesity respectively.

CDC and WHO thinness cut-offs at 5th percentile and 22 SD, respectively, for each reference.

4. Cole et al. (C17).

*Significant difference between gender by age P , 0.05 (ANOVA).

100
9.2
17.9

15.2

10.6

8.3

14.3
16.2

20.2

80
16.2

5.8

7.5

11.7

20.7

20.4

16.2

21.1
21.3

21.5

60

Obesity

40

71
66.1

69

65.6

Overweight

68.6

70.9

70

62.3

59

Normal weight
Underweight

20

1.6

2.5

1.6

2.7

4.5

2.6

2.1

3.5

2.1

WHO

CDC

IOTF-COLE

WHO

CDC

IOTF-COLE

WHO

CDC

IOTF-COLE

Boys

Girls

Boys and girls

Fig. 1 Prevalence of thinness, overweight and obesity for the total population of children of Buenos aires by gender using three references for thinness and
three for overweight, not obesity.

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Thinness

Boys

N U TR I TI O NA L STAT U S O F SC H O O L - AG ED C H I LD R EN O F BU EN O S A I R ES

407

Table 3 Prevalence of obesity, overweightnot obesityand thinness by gender according to the three references considering the confidence interval
Reference

Cut-off values

Boys
%

P value
CI

Girls
%

CI

WHOc

2 SD

17.9

11.5 24.3

**

10.6

4.2 17.1

CDCa

95th

15.2

8.7 21.7

**

8.3

1.8 14.9

IOTFb

30

9.2

2.5 15.9

**

5.8

0.9 12.4

Overweight-

WHOc

1 SD

21.5

15.3 27.8

21.1

15.0 27.1

not including obesity

CDCa

85th

16.2

9.8 22.7

16.2

9.9 22.4

IOTFb

25

20.2

13.9 26.5

20.7

14.6 26.8

WHOd

22 SD

1.6

08.6

CDCd

5th

2.5

09.4

Colee

22 SD

1.6

Obesity

Thinness

2.7

09.5

4.5

011.2

2.6

CDC reference cut-off values at 95th and 85th percentiles of BMI by age and gender for obesity and overweight, respectively.

IOTF cut-off values defined over BMI 30 and 25 kg/m2 at the age of 18 for obesity and overweight, respectively.

WHO reference cut-offs values at 1 SD and 2 SD for age and gender for overweight and obesity, respectively.

CDC and WHO thinness cut-offs at 5th percentile and 22 SD, respectively, for each reference.

Cole et al. at 22DS.

**Significant difference by gender ,0.01 (ANOVA).

*Significant difference by gender ,0.05 (ANOVA).

three references (WHO: P 0.00; CDC: P 0.00; IOTF:

P 0.01). The highest mean value was obtained by WHO
reference (17%), mid-value by CDC (15.2%) and the lowest
by IOTF (9.2%).
Thinness frequency was 1.6, 1.6 and 2.5% for the boys
and 2.6, 2.7 and 4.5% for the girls when considering the
Cole, WHO and CDC cut-off points, respectively.
Frequencies differed signicantly between boys and girls at
an age of 10 when using the CDC reference (1.8 for boys
versus 4% for girls P 0.03). Thinness frequency increased
in both boys and girls for each age group (Table 2).

Discussion
Main findings of this study

This study conducted during 2005 2006 is the rst to

determine the prevalence of overweight, obesity and thinness in 10 11-year-old children of public schools of
Buenos Aires, Argentina. It reveals that prevalence rates of
overweight, including obesity, are comparable to those of
countries that consider this to be a problem of epidemic
proportions affecting a high percentage of the studied population (range of 27.8 35.5% depending on the reference
used). The nutritional status of the population was dened
according to three references with the goal of increasing the
comparison value with other reports.

The higher prevalence of overweight including obesity

using the WHO reference as compared with the IOTF
reference was mostly accounted for by the contribution of
obesity, whilst the prevalence of overweight non-obese children did not differ markedly. As expected, the CDC values
were by comparison in the medium range of the aforementioned references. The prevalence of the latter was practically
the same in both genders, whereas boys showed higher rates
of obesity. This nding seems to conrm a tendency of this
region. A previous study12 showed that when comparing
genders, more boys were overweight (P 0.02), and this
difference attained statistical signicance for obesity (P
0.001). Another study from Brazil reects the same trend.25
When analyzing body composition, an additional possible
contribution to these phenomena becomes apparent: even
though the BMI is a widely used epidemiological indicator,
it does not attest to the difference between fat tissue and
lean mass. Unpublished data of the current study show that
when comparing skin folds, boys have a higher percentage
of lean mass than girls. There is evidence that lean mass
consistently increases with BMI percentile, whereas fat mass
and percentage of body fat have a more complex relationship with BMI percentile, depending on gender and age.26
However, further research in the above-mentioned areas is
needed. Regardless of the reference used, in the studied
sample, mean thinness frequency was lower than the
expected frequencies of 3 % for the WHO or 5% for CDC

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reference, except for the 11-year-old girls (CDC: 5.3 and

WHO: 3.1%). Analysis of low height for age seems
especially appropriate when assessing nutritional status in a
developing country. The prevalence found in this sample is
within the expected range.

What is already known on this topic

What this study adds

This study complements the data provided by the First

National Health and Nutrition Survey conducted in
Argentina in 2004, which was designed to provide

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Overall, the rates of overweight and obesity are very high in

America. The USA27 and Mexico show the highest prevalence values of obesity. Mexico recently reported rates of
overweight (including obesity for 10 11-year-old children of
Mexico City) as 52.3% for boys and 36% for girls.28 In the
age group examined here, Buenos Aires has a lower rate and
comparable to that of Chile3,29 and Florianopolis (Brazil).30
The latter study, akin in age population and design, informs
similar results of prevalence and gender differences. When
using the IOTF reference they report an overweight prevalence of 23% for boys and 21% for girls; and of 5.5% for
obesity.30 Buenos Aires and Florianopolis are both socioeconomically better-developed cities; the apparent higher
prevalence of overweight underscores previous reports, indicating that obesity and overweight have increased more dramatically in some economically developed countries and in
urbanized populations. Whilst some Latin American
countries have reported on cross-sectional studies, others
have analyzed trends showing increasing rates of overweight
cases and lower trends of underweight individuals. In Chile,
cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were carried out to
determine the trajectory of obesity prevalence according to
the CDC 2000 reference.23 The preschoolers investigated
were followed for 3 years and showed that obesity increased
with age. This same tendency has been reported in
Uruguay31 and Brazil.2,32 In the USA, data from NHANES
1999 2000 surveys using IOTF cut-offs, showed that overweight affected 29% of schoolchildren. By 2003 2004 this
gure had risen above 35% with a 10% presence of obese
schoolchildren in 1999 2000 and over 13% in 2003 2004.
More recently a stabilization of this tendency has been
reported.33 Analysis of tendency is not so clear in other
parts of the world. In a study of 11-year-old children from
nine European countries in 2003, overweight and obesity
prevalence varied from 5.9% in Dutch girls to 26.5% in
Portuguese boys.34 Whilst higher levels of overweight and a
decrease in the indicators of low weight have been reported
by epidemiological studies of some countries of the Middle
East, others have demonstrated a stabilization of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.1 In contrast, a
decrease has been reported for Switzerland35 and in
England.36 These new ndings underscore the importance

of environmental factors in childhood obesity, among which

social disadvantage has been indicated as an associated
factor.1,36,37 A recent study indicates that early life determinants may have also played a role in the aforementioned
stabilization.38
In the age group examined here, underweight rates are
lower than those of French children and this is expected
taking into account that in that sample of children aged
7 9, thinness tended to increase with age.39
Argentina is a developing country, and Buenos Aires City,
in spite of its afuence, includes areas of extreme poverty,
as is the case in other capital cities of Latin America. In this
context, it would be expected to nd a higher prevalence of
underweight. The absence of the latter, combined with a
high prevalence of overweight and obesity seem to conrm
the nutritional transition pattern as the representation of the
nutritional map of the region. Other studies have shown
that stunting is associated with overweight in children of
nations that are undergoing nutritional transition.8,9,11
Identication of nutritional risks appears to be essential in
order to inform preventive programs. What needs to be
ascertained is to what extent the difference observed in
these population-based surveys may be due to differences in
both the behavioral patterns and/or the socioeconomic level
of the regions involved. Additionally, when considering the
notable ux in the economic difculties of our current
world, the time period of these studies could also account
for the prevalence differences.
Previous studies have shown that when comparing children, the CDC reference generates a slightly higher estimate
than that of the IOTF. This same trend was observed in
children of the USA,7,32 France39 and southern Brazil.30
The reasons for the observed differences between overweight/obesity classications are due to the methods used
to build the various references (mainly the populations on
which they are based and the percentiles chosen). These
differences affect the level of the cut-offs and consequently
the prevalence calculated using these different cut-offs. The
implications are not known, but because the sensitivity
varies according to the criteria utilized, the results of studies
will be affected by the choice of references regarding body
composition.40,41 More research is needed to identify the
reference and the BMI cut-offs associated with health outcomes later in life.

N U TR I TI O NA L STAT U S O F SC H O O L - AG ED C H I LD R EN O F BU EN O S A I R ES

Limitations of this study

The main limitations of this study are twofold: (i) the

selected age range (10 11 years) is narrow and thus the
results allow for a comparison based mainly on this age
group; (ii) the sample is representative of a region, but not
of the country; thus restricting generalizability. However, it
must be noted that the age group selected was such because

it is one in which children are old enough to answer questionnaires relating to food intake and physical activity (which
was part of the main study from which this data were
derived), and at the same time, for the most part, they have
not yet entered puberty. On the other hand, establishment
of Tanner stage at school is not possible, and for the girls
who mature early, it is possible that the inuence of puberty
on fat tissue, might have affected the sample specially considering mean height value is higher in girls. This apparent
limitation may be partially compensated by ndings of a
recent study, which has shown that BMI and weight gains
between 7 and 11 years were the best-observed predictors
for obesity at 33 years.45 47

Conclusions
This study shows that regardless of the reference used, there
is a high prevalence of overweight and obesity cases among
school-aged children of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Current
data could serve as a basis for examining secular trends in
the future. The differences reported by the three reference
models used in this study, highlight the quest for precise
information on the reference used when quoting prevalence
data, taking into account that often reference values are constrained to give similar results in each group.48 The epidemiological data provided by this study contributes to and
suggests the urgent need to design preventive interventions
tapered to vulnerable populations as those of countries
undergoing nutritional transition.

Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their deep gratitude to Dr.
Marie Francoise Rolland-Cachera and Professor Neil Ward
for their support and revision of the manuscript

Funding
This paper is one of the work products of the Nutrition,
Obesity and Physical Activity Committee at ILSI Argentina.
Financial support for this project was provided by ILSI
Argentina (Instituto Internacional de Ciencias de la Vida), a
nonprot NGO established in 1990, which is part of the
ILSI network. The International Life Sciences Institute
(ILSI), is a nonprot, worldwide organization established in
1978 to advance the understanding of scientic issues relating to nutrition, food safety, toxicology, risk assessment, and
the environment. For more information about ILSI

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information about the nutritional status of women of childbearing age and of children under the age of 6 years. Due
to the nature of that study, additional information on girls
from Greater Buenos Aires, who were above the age of 10,
was included. For those aged 10 14.9, a prevalence of
26.1% of overweight non-obese and of 6.9% obesity was
reported according to the IOTF reference.42,43
Current results showing a high prevalence of obesity and
overweight highlight the need for the implementation of prevention and intervention programs at school, which focus
on the improvement of eating habits and an increase in
physical activity. The singularities of the reported changes in
the prevalence of overweight in different countries, illustrates
diverse trends in various regions of the world. Taking into
account the great variability in the economic conditions of
Latin America, the information provided by this study
allows for comparisons to be made with the prevalence
recorded in other similar urbanized areas of the region and
of the world.
Noteworthy of this study is its unique design by which
data were collected from a representative sample of an area
of Argentina, allowing for results to be generalized to the
whole population of Buenos Aires. Current data provide a
basis of comparison with other similar regions of the world
and with more developed countries, since Buenos Aires has
one of the highest Human Development Index levels of the
region and Argentina ranks tenth among the High Human
Development Category of the developing countries. This is
a standard means of measuring well-being, especially in
terms of child welfare for countries worldwide.44
It should also be noted that both the CDC and WHO
references are statistical-denition-based references. As such,
they are not based on evidence of long-term health risks
associated with elevated BMI levels in childhood and adolescence and to this date little is known as to whether they
apply to children from developing countries. In fact, the
WHO Committee has cautioned that the BMI cut-offs
derived from USA population may not apply to
non-Western parts of the world nor to the latter. From this
point of view, data provided by this study contribute to
broadening the utility of these references.

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Argentina and
miembros.html.

it

members:

http://www.ilsi.org.ar/

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