부산대학교 도서관

The study was conducted on a cross sectional sample of 228 children ranging in age from 10-17 years. Body weight, height was measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) was computed for each subject. The results indicate that BMI increased as age increased, except at the age of 12-13 years. On an average, it is found that the body mass index for 17-year-old boys was 20-25% greater than that of eight and nine year olds. Comparison of BMI values generated from the present study with those reported by Cooper (1992), it is seen that the average BMI values of boys of the present study lie well below the health fitness zone (HFZ) limits. It is seen that for 10-13 year-olds, the percentage of subjects who fell below the HFZ limits ranged from 21-64%, with only 36-68% of subjects achieving the HFZ limits. Clearly, this indicates inadequate weight mass relative to height measurement, implying a very lean physique. Frequency of BMI values greater than 20 has been found to be very low in the present study. These results contrast those reported for American children, where obesity is clearly on the rise. The observation of underweight subjects in this study also poses a need for people to pay more attention to their health and what is being consumed. Over all, the study shows positive results for Punjabi boys. It can be confirmed that Punjabi boys at present are not confronting the obesity problem.