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Updated: Jan 13, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
The relationship between child overweight/obesity and respiratory muscle strength and lung function considering sex,
Júlio Brugnara Mello1, Marcos Filipe da Silva Mello2, Iransé Oliveira-Silva2
1School of Physical Education, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile. julio.mello@pucv.cl.
Insights
Childhood obesity impacts respiratory muscle strength, with overweight/obese children showing higher inspiratory muscle strength. This relationship is influenced by age, sex, and maturity offset status, underscoring the need to consider anthropometric variables in research.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Child Health Research
- Obesity Studies
Background:
- Childhood overweight and obesity rates are rising globally.
- Obesity can negatively affect chest mechanics and lung function in children.
- Growth and maturation status influence how obesity impacts children's physiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on respiratory muscle strength (RMS) and lung function in children.
- To account for maturity offset status as a covariate in the analysis.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 90 children (ages 5-14) in Brazil.
- Assessed BMI percentiles, maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and spirometry.
- Maturity offset status determined using the age-to-peak height velocity (APHV) formula; linear regression used for analysis.
Main Results:
- Overweight/obese children exhibited higher MIP (Δ= +14.12 cmH2O, p=0.015).
- A relationship was found between %MEP and BMI, adjusted for age, sex, and maturity offset status (β: 0.142).
Conclusions:
- Overweight/obesity is associated with increased inspiratory muscle strength in children.
- The relationship between BMI and respiratory muscle strength is influenced by age, sex, and maturity compensation status.
- Anthropometric variables are crucial considerations for future research on pediatric respiratory health.
Background:
Rates of overweight and obesity in children are increasing progressively worldwide, which can negatively impact chest mechanics and lung function. However, children at different stages of growth may be impacted differently by obesity, highlighting the need to assess maturation status related to body growth, as the maturity offset.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on respiratory muscle strength (RMS) and lung function in children, considering maturity offset status as a covariate.
Methods:
This cross-sectional analytical study included 90 children aged 5-14 from two Brazilian public schools. BMI was calculated and converted into percentiles for age and sex to classify children as overweight/obese. RMS, including maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), was measured through a digital manometer, and spirometry was used to assess lung function. The age-to-peak height velocity (APHV) formula was used to determine the maturity offset status. Data were compared between groups, and linear regression was used to examine the effect of BMI on RMS and spirometric variables, adjusted for sex, age, and maturity offset status.
Results:
MIP (Δ= +14.12 cmH2O, p = 0.015) was higher in overweight/obese children. Regression models indicated a relationship between %MEP (β: 0.142; CI 95%: -1.163; 1.453) and BMI, considering age, sex, and maturity offset status as covariates.
Conclusion:
Overweight/obesity was associated with higher inspiratory muscle strength and related to %MEP. This relationship was influenced by the covariates of age, sex, and maturity compensation status, indicating that anthropometric variables need to be considered in future studies.
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