Comparative study between italian and austrian children under six to prevent overweight and obesity

Overweight and obesity are dramatically rising in the industrialized countries both among adults and children and are included in the list of the most serious health public concerns of the century. Some evidence have shown that overweighted and obese children tend to maintain this condition in the adult life. The body mass index (BMI) measurement and the Bioelectrical Impedence analysis (BIA) could represent valid instruments in the definition of the overweight and obesity. In this study we analyzed 340 children aged between 4 and years from Italy (group 1: 170) and from Austria (group 2: 170). For each child we collected anthropometric measurements of weight and height to calculate BMI and recorded bioelectrical parameters of resistance. We then compared the BMI and BIA values of the children from the two groups in order to evaluate the existence of difference between children living in the two countries. The statistical analysis of the data revealed no significant differences in term of BMI and BIA parameters among the two groups examined.