Anthropometric Indicators do not interfere in selective attention of middle school students

• Autor(a) principal: Ferreira Marques da Silva, Maria Auricélia
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Alves Pereira, Vitória, Gomes Ribeiro, Luciano, Oliveira Carvalho, Ferdinando, Vila Nova de Moraes, José Fernando
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano
• Texto Completo: https://revistas.unilasalle.edu.br/index.php/saude_desenvolvimento/article/view/7234
• topic: Anthropometry; Cognitive Function; Students; Educação Física; Atividade física e saúde; Desempenho Cognitivo;; Antropometria; Função Cognitiva; Estudantes

Aim: To verify the influence of anthropometric variables in selective attention of middle school students.Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study in which 179 students aged 11 – 15 years, from a public middle school, participated. Anthropometric measurements (body mass index, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio) and cognitive tests to evaluate selective attention (Stroop Test and Trail Making Test) were performed. Data was analyzed using Kruskall Wallis’ and Mann-Whitney’s U Tests, with a significance level of p<0.05.Results: Of the 179 students, 47.5% were female and 52.5% were male. Regarding body mass index, 11.2% were characterized with thinness, 68.2% were normal, 12.3% presented overweight and 8.4% were obese. Waist circumference was increased in 32.4% and 22.9% of the participants presented high waist-to-height ratio. When comparing selective attention according to anthropometric classifications no statistically significant differences were found. This suggests that, at this age, adiposity does not seem to interfere in selective attention.Conclusion: Nutritional status does not seem to influence cognitive performance, specifically selective attention, in middle school students.