Læknablaðið - 15.10.2003, Síða 31

FRÆÐIGREINAR / ÞYNGD SKÓLABARNA
Magnús Ólafsson1
HEIMILISLÆKNIR, SÉRGREIN
LYFLÆKNINGAR
Kjartan Ólafsson2
FÉLAGSFRÆÐINGUR
Kristján M.
Magnússon'
sAlfræðingur
Rósa Eggertsdóttir1
kennari, sérgrein
MENNTUNARFRÆÐI
‘Heilsugæslustöðin á
Akureyri
2Rannsóknarstofnun
háskólans á Akureyri
3Reynir ráðgjafastofa
Akureyri
4Skólaþróunarsvið
kennaradeildar
háskólans á akureyri
Fyrirspurnir og bréfaskipti:
Magnús Ólafsson,
Heilsugæslustöðinni á
Akureyri, Hafnarstræti 99,
600 Akureyri, fax 461-2605,
sími 460-4600.
magn us@hak. ak. is
Lykilorð:
líkamsþyngdarstuðull, líðan,
námsárangur, þyngd.
Þyngd skólabarna og tengsl hennar
við líðan og námsárangur
Ágrip
Tilgangur: Pyngdaraukning meðal vestrænna þjóða
er veruleg síðustu áratugi og á það einnig við um
börn og unglinga. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var
að kanna hvort finna mætti tengsl á milli þyngdar
grunnskólabarna og hvernig þeim liði og árangurs
þeirra í námi. Ennfremur var áhugi á að sjá hver hef-
ur verið þróun í þyngd barna og unglinga á þrjátíu ára
tímabili og leita svara við spurningunni hvort þau
væru enn að þyngjast.
Efniviður og aðferðin Rannsóknin náði til nemenda í 4.,
7. og 10. bekk grunnskóla á starfssvæði Heilsugæslu-
stöðvarinnar á Akureyri veturinn 2000-2001. Umrædd-
ir árgangar urðu fyrir valinu þar sem þeir þreyttu allir
samræmd próf. Gögnum var safnað til að finna líkams-
þyngdarstuðul, LPS (Body Mass Index, BMI,
þyngd/hæð_, kg/m_), mæla námsárangur (niðurstöður
samræmdra prófa í íslensku og stærðfræði) og líðan
með spumingalista (Youth Self Report, YSR) sem var
eingöngu lagður fyrir 7. og 10. bekk. Ennfremur var
fundið LÞS fyrir sambærilega hópa frá skólaámnum
1970-71, 1980-81 og 1990-91 og voru þær upplýsingar
unnar úr heilsufarsskýrslum skóla fyrir þessa nemendur.
Niðurstöður: í þessum hópi voru alls 819 nemendur
og fengust upplýsingar um 568 þeirra eða um 70%.
Marktæk þyngdaraukning reyndist vera milli áranna
1970 og 1990 en var ekki til staðar á tíunda áratug 20.
aldar og á það við alla árgangana þrjá. Á það bæði við
þegar borið er saman meðaltal LÞS þessara árganga
og hlutfall þeirra barna sem eru yfir ákveðnum við-
miðunarmörkum. Enginn munur var eftir búsetu í
þéttbýli eða dreifbýli. Þá kom í ljós að ofþyngd/offita
tengist slöku námsgengi og slakri líðan meðal nem-
enda í 10. bekk grunnskóla. Slík tengsl eru ekki til
staðar meðal nemenda í 7. bekk. Þyngri nemendur í 4.
bekk sýna betri námsárangur en þeir sem léttari eru
en sá munur er þó ekki marktækur.
ENGLISH SUMMARY
Olafsson M, Ólafsson K, Magnússon KM, Eggertsdóttir R
The weight of school children and its relationship
to performance in studies and well-being
Læknablaöiö 2003; 89: 767-75
Objective: There has been significant weight gain am-
ong Western populations during the past few decades,
including children and adolescents. The aim of this
research was to investigate the possibility of discover-
ing a correlation between the weight of primary school
children and their well-being and performance in stu-
dies. There was also an interest in determining the
weight development of children and adolescents
during a period of thirty years and attempting to
answer the question whether they were still putting on
weight.
Methods and materials: The target population of the rese-
arch project comprised pupils in the 4th, 7th and 10th
grades of primary schools within the service area of Akur-
eyri Health Centre during the winter of 2000-2001. The
above classes were chosen on the basis of the fact that
they all sat the national coordinated examination. Data
were collected to discover Body Mass Index (BMI, weight/-
height_, kg/m_), measure performance in studies (the
results in nationally coordinated examinations in lcelandic
and arithmetic) and assess well-being by means of a
questionnaire (Youth Self Report, YSR), which was only
presented to the 7th and 10th grade. Furthermore, BMI
was determined for corresponding groups from the school
years 1970-71,1980-81 and 1990-91, using information
obtained from school health reports for the pupils in
question.
Results: This group consisted of 819 pupils and in-
formation was available on 568 of those, or about 70%.
The weight gain which turned out to have occurred
between the years 1970 and 1990 did not occur in the final
decade of the 20th century and this applies to all three year
groups. No difference was between those living in urban
and rural areas. This was found to be the case, both when
comparing the average BMI of the year groups and the
proportion of children who are above a certain threshold of
criteria. Furthermore, it was found that excessive weight/o-
besity is related to slack study results and a poor state of
well-being among pupils in the 10th grade of the primary
school. Such a relationship, however, did not exist among
students in the 7th grade. Heavier pupils in the 4th grade
perform better in their studies than their lighter peers, alt-
hough this difference is not statistically significant.
Conclusions: The unfavourable trend towards weight gain
that we have seen in the past may now be changing. Other
research pointing in the same direction has not been
found, however, and more results are needed before this
can be stated as a fact. Weight has a stronger influence on
the well-being of adolescents in their upper teens, or
towards the end of primary school, than is the case with
younger pupils. This research does not explain why, alt-
hough it may be assumed that the social environment of
older children and adolescents is a significant factor in this
respect. As the children grow older, a correlation begins to
appear between being overweight and having less perfor-
mance in studies and none of the heavier pupils show
excellent school performance.
Key words: body mass index, well-being, performance in
studies, weight.
Correspondance: Magnús Ólafsson, magnus@hak.ak.is
Læknablaðið 2003/89 767