Percentiles of body mass index and waist circumference for Costa Rican children and adolescents.

Introduction: body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are anthropometric indicators used to define overweight/obesity and to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease, respectively, in adolescents and children. Objectives: to describe and provide estimations of BMI and WC distribution according to percentiles in a sample of Costa Rican students, and to test group differences at the 50th percentile with the international references by the National Center for Health Statistics of the United States of America in 2012, 2016 and 2021. Material and methods: a cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out with 2,684 students from 7 to 17 years of age in 64 educational centers of Costa Rica.

Estimation of Sodium Availability and Food Sources from 2018 to 2019 and Its Trends during the 2004-2019 Period in Costa Rica.

Sodium availability and food sources in 2018−2019 were estimated and trends analyzed for 15 years (2004−2019) in Costa Rica. Food purchase records from the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (ENIGH) 2018−2019 were converted to energy and sodium using food composition tables measuring “apparent consumption”. Foods were classified by sodium content.

Household Cooking and Eating out: Food Practices and Perceptions of Salt/Sodium Consumption in Costa Rica.

This research aims to study the food practices and perceptions related to excessive consumption of salt/sodium when cooking and eating outside the home in a study population representing the wide intergenerational and sociocultural diversity of Costa Rica. Key communities from around the country, cultural experts, and key informants were selected. Four qualitative research techniques were applied.

New Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents in Costa Rica.

Introduction: there is an increasing interest in the study of total diet quality indicators through the study of food groups in certain dietary patterns. Objective: to analyze the diet of students in Costa Rica with construction of a contextualized new diet quality index. Material and methods: a cross-sectional study was performed in a population of 2,677 students from 64 educational centers.

[Advances in reducing salt and sodium intake in Costa Rica].

This article describes the progress-as well as the challenges and limitations-in reducing salt intake in Costa Rica. The National Plan to Reduce Public Consumption of Salt/Sodium in Costa Rica 2011 - 2021 was complemented with multisectoral programs and projects specifically designed to: 1) determine sodium intake and the salt/sodium content of the most widely consumed foods; identify the consumer knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with regard to salt/sodium, their relationship to health, and nutritional labeling; evaluate the cost-effectiveness of measures aimed at reducing the incidence of hypertension; 2) implement strategies to reduce the salt/sodium content of processed foods and foods prepared at home; 3) promote behavioral changes in the population to reduce salt in people's diets; and 4) monitor and evaluate action geared to reducing salt/sodium intake in the population. Meeting the proposed targets will require successful interinstitutional coordination among the strategic actors, the negotiation of commitments with the food industry and food services, and tighter regulation of critical nutrients in foods associated with chronic noncommunicable diseases.

Components of the metabolic syndrome among a sample of overweight and obese Costa Rican schoolchildren.

Background: The term "pediatric metabolic syndrome" includes a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia (including increased triglycerides and decreased HDL cholesterol), hypertension, and obesity in children. No studies have been performed on this syndrome in a pediatric population in Costa Rica.

Objective: To establish the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in 8- to 10-year-old prepuberal overweight and obese schoolchildren.

Insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance in overweight and obese Costa Rican schoolchildren.

Background: Worldwide obesity has become an unprecedented public health challenge. In addition, a notable increase in the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus has emerged. In Costa Rica, there are no epidemiological data to establish the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the pediatric population.

Biochemical indicators of nutritional status and dietary intake in Costa Rican Cabécar Indian adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to determine the blood levels of selected nutritional status indicators and the dietary intake of Costa Rican Cabécar Indians aged 10 to 16 years. The results showed that 65% of the adolescents had an adequate body mass index (BMI) for their age, and 32% had a BMI < 5th percentile. Likewise, the study revealed a high prevalence of anemia (57%), deficient serum folate levels (54%), deficient vitamin B12 levels (31%), and subclinical vitamin A deficiency (10%).

[Physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual violence during pregnancy as a reproductive-risk predictor of low birthweight in Costa Rica].

Objective: To determine the prevalence of physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual violence during pregnancy and the association that that violence has with low birthweight.

Methods: For 118 women who gave birth between September 1998 and November 1999 we explored the violence that they had suffered during their pregnancy. All the women were residents of Finca San Juan, a low-income urban settlement in the Rincón Grande de Pavas section of San José, Costa Rica.

Comparison of serum concentration and dietary intake of alpha-tocopherol in a sample of urban and rural Costa Rican adolescents.

Results from several studies have suggested that vitamin E intake could inhibit the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate Costa Rican adolescents' serum alpha-tocopherol levels and their correlation with Body Mass Index (BMI) and the dietary intake of vitamin E and saturated and polyunsaturated fat. Ninety-five healthy, non-smoking adolescents and non-vitamin supplement users (aged 13-18) from urban and rural areas in San José, Costa Rica, were included in this study.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Costa Rican elementary school children.

Objective: Given that excessive body weight during childhood influences the development of several chronic diseases in adulthood, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban and rural Costa Rican elementary school children.

Methods: The study was carried out from July 2000 to April 2001. A total of 1 718 students ages 7-12 were selected from 34 schools in the capital city of San José and in other nearby urban and rural areas.