Diferencias antropométricas de escolares de 5 y 6 años en colegio público y privado, Chile 2015

Obesity in children represents a public health problem worldwide. Chile has one of the highest prevalence rates of childhood obesity in Latin America. Locally, there are few studies that show the differences between public and private schools in relation to parameters like weight, height and waist circumference in children that attend these schools. The objective of this study is to determine if there are anthropometric differences in children of age 5 and 6 according to the schools stakeholder. Material and methods: A quantitative, descriptive and transversal research was carried out. The study has a non-probabilistic sample of 195 children between 5 and 6 years old, which 55 of them attend a public school and 140 a private one. Results: In the anthropometric measurement of children between 5 and 6 years old of public and private schools, the  students’ weight and height were not statistically significant (p> 0.05) comparing both schools, however, the population as a whole, without differentiating their age, they were statistically significant in height (p 0.05). Conclusions: There was less height (p <0.05), greater weight and greater waist circumference in public school students in relation to private, however, given the low participation of schools and difference in sample size in both groups, these differences must be carefully interpreted and analysed.