The risk analysis of arm fat area in Turkish children and adolescents

The study examined the risk factors associated with arm fat area (AFA) in Turkish children and adolescents. METHODS AND SAMPLES: This study was conducted with 5358 (2621 boys, 2737 girls) children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. Height, weight, waist circumference, mid-upper arm circumference and triceps skinfold thickness were measured. Body mass index, fat percentage, waist-to-height ratio, and AFA were calculated. A questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data. For age- and gender-specific AFA, three groups were created by percentiles (underweight<5th, healthy weight> or =5-84.99th, overweight> or =85th percentiles). Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors.

For the entire group, underweight and overweight prevalences were 4.7% and 14.9%, respectively. The body-size variables increased across age in Turkish boys and girls. The most significant risk factors for AFA were shown to be appetite, sleep duration, household income, and elevator use.

AFA can be a significant index, in combination with other well-known anthropometric indices, in determining nutritional status.