Nutrition assessment
of pre-school and primary school children
practising artistic gymnastics
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Emilia Pavlova, PhD
Scientific consultant: D-r Lubomir Petrov, PhDPhysiology and Biochemistry Department, NSA
Author: Stefan Kolimechkov, №3333
Masters programme: Physical Education and Sports
1Master’s Thesis | National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
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Purpose
The aim of this study was to assess, using
accessible methods for wide application in
practice, the diet of pre-school and primary
school children practising artistic gymnastics.
2National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Objectives and tasks
3
Approbation and adaptation of an appropriate foodquestionnaire in order to assess diet and nutrition ofchildren;
Nutritional assessment of pre-school and primaryschool children practising artistic gymnastics;
Approbation of appropriate methods in order toassess physical development in young children;
Assessment of the physical development of pre-school and primary school children practisinggymnastics;
Assessment of nutrition and physical developmentbased on the children's training process.
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Methods
The study included 40 children, 22 boys and
18 girls, from 4 to 12 years of age,
practising artistic gymnastics in ‘Sports
Centre Levski’ in Sofia (Bulgaria).
Groups:
- Pre-school (3-6 years old)
- Primary school (7-11 years old)
4National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Anthropometry
Height (cm), percentile and Z-score
Weight (kg), percentile and Z-score
Upper arm circumference (cm)
Skinfolds: triceps, subscapular (mm)
Dynamometry (kg, N)
BMI (kg/m2), percentile and Z-score
% Body Fat
Upper arm muscle area (сm2)
5National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Skinfold & Dynamometer Tests
6National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Height, weight and BMI assessment
We used specialised software prepared by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) – ‘WHO Anthro’(for children under six years of age) and ‘WHOAnthro Plus’ (for children over six years of age), toassess height, weight and BMI in children (WHO2007). For each variable we calculated the Z-scoreand percentile score for the relevant age.
To distinguish the BMI scores, we used referencesprovided by the WHO for children from 5 to 19 yearsof age:
(overweight > +1 SD, obese > +2 SD,underweight < -2 SD, mortality <-3 SD)
7National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Nutrition assessmentThe nutrition questionnaire which had been used for adult athletes
(Zaikova 2010, 2011, 2012) was adapted for our purposes in order to
assess the nutrient intake in children. The Food Frequency Questionnaire
(FFQ) was completed by the children’s parents. It included 24 questions
relating to the weekly consumption of basic foodstuffs and questions about
the physical activity, height and weight of children.
Based on the results, the daily intake of proteins, carbohydrates and
fats, protein/kg body weight, in addition to the total daily energy intake
(kcal/24h) was calculated .
The data concerning height and weight between our measurements and
those obtained from the parents were compared.8National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
ResultsAnthropometric data of the children from our study
9
Males
3-6 years
Females
3-6 years
Males
7-11 years
Females
7-11 years
Age (y) 5.00 ± 0.58 5.6 ± 0.89 7.55 ± 0.52 8.7 ± 2.11
Sport
experience (m)7.43 ± 5.35 24.6 ± 12.28 26.82 ± 15.30 14.8 ± 13.97
Height (сm) 112.17 ± 6.25 116.66 ± 5.91 126.27 ± 3.87 131.82 ± 12.09
Height
Z-score-0.28 ± 0.65 0.10 ± 0.87 -0.28 ± 0.61 -0.27 ± 1.12
Weight (kg) 18.83 ± 2.83 21.6 ± 3.11 25.54 ± 2.79 30.87 ± 10.19
Weight
Z-score-0.39 ± 0.77 0.25 ± 0.66 -0.10 ± 0.80 -0.02 ± 1.09
BMI (kg/cm2) 14.91 ± 1.30 15.79 ± 1.06 16.01 ± 1.59 17.30 ± 2.82
BMI
Z-score-0.37 ± 1.03 0.24 ± 0.67 0.04 ± 1.03 0.304 ± 0.86
Body fat (%) 12.07 ± 2.21 14.66 ± 2.74 12.53 ± 2.80 17.36 ± 5.64
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Anthropometric and dynamometric data
10
Males
3-6 years
Females
3-6 years
Males
7-11 years
Females
7-11 years
Skinfold
subscapular
(mm)
4.50 ± 0.58 5.72 ± 0.93 5.14 ± 0.81 7.99 ± 4.88
Skinfold triceps
(mm)7.93 ± 1.67 9.52 ± 2.29 7.77 ± 2.16 11.25 ± 4.19
Upper arm
muscle area
(сm2)
16.35 ± 2.11 20.19 ± 3.84 21.80 ± 2.75 25.57 ± 7.23
Grip force
Left hand (N)69.37 ± 12.48 79.26 ± 18.27 103.36 ± 28.46 93.29 ± 16.50
Grip force
Right hand (N)83.39 ± 39.65 84.37 ± 17.48 111.92 ± 28.33 100.45 ± 26.2
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
BMI Z-scores for the children under study
11
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Num
ber
of ch
ildre
n
BMI Z-scores
< -2 -2 to -1 -1 to 0 0 to 1 1 to 2 > 2
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
3-6 years of
age, urban
population,
Bulgaria 1997
3-6 years of
age, children
under study
6-10 years of
age, urban
population,
Bulgaria 1997
6-10 years of
age, children
under study
Expected energy
expenditure
(kcal/24 h)
1423 ± 243 1558 ± 135.9
Energy intake
(kcal/24 h)1740 ± 479 1503 ± 330 2069 ± 518 1831 ± 432.2
Protein (Е%) 10.5 16.0 ± 1.7 10.7 16.1 ± 2.4
Fat (E%) 37.3 33.3 ± 3.9 40.2 34.4 ± 4.5
Carbohydrates (E %) 52.2 48.4 ± 4.7 49.1 47.3 ± 5.6
Protein
(g/kg body weight)3.2 ± 0.9 2.9 ± 0.9
Protein (g/day) 46.2 ± 12.3 60.4 ± 14.7 55.6 ± 14.7 73.9 ± 19.1
Fat (g) 72.6 ± 21.6 55.6 ± 12.9 92.4 ± 29.5 70.0 ± 18.0
Carbohydrates (g) 228 ± 70 182 ± 45.6 254 ± 72 217.1 ± 59.3
Food intake data of the children from our study and children of the same
age group from the Nutritional Survey of the population of Bulgaria 1997
12National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Boys (6-10 years old),
< 2 years sport experience
Competitors (6-10 years old),
> 2 years sport experience
Expected energy
expenditure (kcal/24 h)1458 ± 84.5 1557 ± 149.5
Energy intake
(kcal/24 h)1733 ± 482.9 1868 ± 464.0
Protein (Е%) 18.0 ± 3.0 15.3 ± 1.7
Fat (E%) 34.5 ± 4.0 34.4 ± 5.3
Carbohydrates (E%) 45.2 ± 6.4 48.4 ± 5.7
Protein
(g/kg body weight)3.1 ± 0.90 2.7 ± 0.7
Protein (g/day) 76.9 ± 19.5 71.3 ± 18.3
Carbohydrates (g) 196.8 ± 68.0 226.0 ± 61.2
Fat (g) 66.6 ± 20.1 71.6 ± 21.4
Food intake data of boys with less than 2 years sport experience in gymnastics,
and boys who are competitors with sport experience greater than 2 years
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14
8.0
25.2
15.7
20.5
10.512.4
7.6
27.1
16.3
23.7
12.4 12.9
0
5
10
15
20
25
30под 2 г. спортен стаж
над 2 г. спортен стаж
*
Age Weight BMI UAMA Grip force (kg) Grip force (kg)
(kg) (kg/cm2) (cm2) Left hand Right hand
< 2 years sport experience
> 2 years sport experience
Anthropometric and dynamometric data of primary school boys with less
than 2 years sport experience in gymnastics (n=13), and boys who are
competitors with sport experience greater than 2 years (n=6). (* p < 0.05)
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
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Group Competitors Overweight children
Average ± SD n Average ± SD n t-test
Energy
expenditure
(kcal/kg/24h)
70.16± 8.82 13.00 48.73±8.98 6.00 p<0.001
Energy intake
(kcal/kg/24h)72.32± 21.19 13 63.65±15.28 6 p>0.05
Protein
(g/kg)2.87± 0.86 13 2.57±0.80 6 p>0.05
Fat
(g/kg)2.65± 0.88 13 2.30±0.50 6 p>0.05
Carbohydrates
(g/kg)8.86± 2.62 13 7.86±2.02 6 p>0.05
Energy expenditure and energy intake; protein, fat and carbohydrate / kg
body weight (Average ± SD) in the overweight children (n=6) and
children who are competitors (n=13)
16National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
BMI Z-score and ratio (energy intake)/(energy expenditure) in the overweight
children (n=6) and the children who are competitors (boys and girls, n=13)
* p < 0.05; *** p < 0.001
17
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
BMI Z-score Energy (intake / calculated
expenditure)
0.13
1.031.29
1.27
Athletes (n=13) Overweight (n=6)
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Average age, sports experience (months) and energy proportion of the
essential nutrients in overweight children (n=6) and young athletes (boys
and girls, n=13)
18
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Age (y) Sports
experience
Protein % Fat % Carbohydrates
%
7.0
29.5
15.9
32.9
49.2
8.5 8.3
16.0
32.7
49.4
Athletes Overweight
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
Conclusions and recommendations
19
We recommend that weight and height in children
should be measured by a coach or a health
professional;
The BMI does not assess weight adequately in
some child athletes with greater muscle mass;
The amount of aerobic exercise in training sessions
should be increased for overweight children;
The correct assessment of energy expenditure
needs more accurate calculation including any
extra physical activity;
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
20
The food questionnaire keeps parents interested
in adopting a healthy diet and adequate levels
of physical activity for their children;
The nutrition questionnaire which was used
gives a good indication of the average intake of
the main food groups, nutrients and energy;
We recommend that coaches should use their
authority to encourage children to adopt a
healthier diet;
We recommend that more attention should be
given to children's dental health including
brushing teeth and chewing food.
National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
You are what you eat!
Be active, do sports, feel great.
Repeat!
Thank You
21Master’s Thesis | National Sports Academy - Sofia, 2012
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