[Anthropometric characteristics of school children graduated from basic and secondary education in the Metropolitan area of Santiago de Chile].

An anthropometric assessment of the nutritional status and growth of students graduating from Basic (8th grade) and Secondary (4th grade) Education was carried out. A group sample of 522 students from the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile, was randomly selected. The same number of students by sex, dependency (public and private schools) from high, medium and low socioeconomic levels (SEL) was chosen. SEL was measured through the Graffar Modified Scale, and the percentage of weight for age (% W/A), height/age (% H/A) and weight/height (% W/H) were evaluated in accordance with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference pattern. The % adequacy of head circumference/age (% HC/A) was determined by the Tanner Tables, and the % of upper to lower segment ratio (% US/LS), by the Tables of Muzzo et al. Results revealed that the % of W/A and of H/A were diminished in students of both sexes, while the % of UP/LS, was increased in males of low SEL, from Basic Education; this impact is lost in males graduating from Secondary Education and persists only in the LSE females. No differences in the nutritional status (% W/H) of students according to SEL, were found. Females registered values over 110% of the WHO standard, a finding suggesting a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. We conclude that there is a growth retardation in students graduating from 8th Basic Grade, which persists only in females from 4th grade of Secondary Education. This finding indicates that, in addition to possible environmental factors, other factors, probably of genetic order, also influence the latter. Overweight and obesity, therefore, constitute an important problem that merits measures of preventive nature directed to avoid future consequences.