Anthropometric Status and Nutritional Intake in Children (6–9 Years) in Valencia (Spain): The ANIVA Study
by
María Morales-Suárez-Varela 1,2,3,*
, Nuria Rubio-López 1,2,3, Candelaria Ruso 1, Agustín Llopis-Gonzalez 1,2,3, Elías Ruiz-Rojo 2,3,4, Maximino Redondo 5 and Yolanda Pico 2,6,7
María Morales-Suárez-Varela 1,2,3,*, Nuria Rubio-López 1,2,3, Candelaria Ruso 1, Agustín Llopis-Gonzalez 1,2,3, Elías Ruiz-Rojo 2,3,4, Maximino Redondo 5 and Yolanda Pico 2,6,7
1
Unit of Public Health, Hygiene and Environmental Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Science, Toxicology and Legal Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia 46100, Spain
2
CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid 28029, Spain
3
Center for Advanced Research in Public Health (CSISP-FISABIO), Valencia 46010, Spain
4
Dirección General de Salud Pública, Conselleria de Sanidad, Valencia 46010, Spain
5
Biochemistry Departament, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, University of Malaga, Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC), Marbella 29603, Spain
6
Food and Environmental Safety Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Valencia 46100, Spain
7
Research Center on Desertification (CIDE, UV-CSIC-GV), Carretera Moncada-Náquera, Moncada 46113, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12(12), 16082-16095; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph121215045
Received: 6 October 2015 / Revised: 3 December 2015 / Accepted: 16 December 2015 / Published: 18 December 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children, Adolescents and Nutrition)
The aim of our study was to assess nutritional intake and anthropometric statuses in schoolchildren to subsequently determine nutritional adequacy with Spanish Dietary Reference Intake (DRIs). The ANIVA study, a descriptive cross-sectional study, was conducted in 710 schoolchildren (6–9 years) in 2013–2014 in Valencia (Spain). Children’s dietary intake was measured using 3-day food records, completed by parents. Anthropometric measures (weight and height) were measured according to international standards, and BMI-for-age was calculated and converted into z-scores by WHO-Anthro for age and sex. Nutrient adequacy was assessed using DRI based on estimated average requirement (EAR) or adequate intake (AI). Pearson’s chi-square and Student’s t-test were employed. Of our study group (47.61% boys, 52.39% girls), 53.1% were normoweight and the weight of 46.9% was inadequate; of these, 38.6% had excess body weight (19.6% overweight and 19.0% obesity). We found intakes were lower for biotin, fiber, fluoride, vitamin D (p < 0.016), zinc, iodine, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium and iron (p < 0.017), and higher for lipids, proteins and cholesterol. Our results identify better nutritional adequacy to Spanish recommendations in overweight children. Our findings suggest that nutritional intervention and educational strategies are needed to promote healthy eating in these children and nutritional adequacies.
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Keywords:
child; dietary intake; anthropometric status; dietary recommendations
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Morales-Suárez-Varela, M.; Rubio-López, N.; Ruso, C.; Llopis-Gonzalez, A.; Ruiz-Rojo, E.; Redondo, M.; Pico, Y. Anthropometric Status and Nutritional Intake in Children (6–9 Years) in Valencia (Spain): The ANIVA Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 16082-16095.
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