Table 2.
Demographic and anthropometric variables, health status and physical activity among children participating in the study
| BS | LE | PG | PI | TO | MAPEC_LIFE cohort | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males (%) | 47.2 | 49.2 | 58.3 | 46.2 | 53.3 | 50.9 | 0.057 a |
| Born in Italy (%) | 94.4 | 97.9 | 96.2 | 93.8 | 94.7 | 95.4 | 0.204 a |
| Age (years) | |||||||
| Season I | 7.42 | 7.38 | 7.36 | 7.15 | 7.33 | 7.34 | 0.051 b |
| Season II | 7.76 | 7.53 | 7.66 | 7.53 | 7.67 | 7.63 | 0.052 b |
| Height (cm) | |||||||
| Season I | 124.8 | 125.4 | 125.1 | 123.6 | 125.0 | 124.8 | 0.183 b |
| Season II | 127.1 | 126.7 | 126.8 | 126.1 | 126.6 | 126.7 | 0.756 b |
| Weight (kg) | |||||||
| Season I | 25.5 | 26.4 | 26.5 | 25.5 | 25.7 | 25.9 | 0.102 b |
| Season II | 26.5 | 26.9 | 27.1 | 26.7 | 26.5 | 26.7 | 0.725 b |
| BMI (kg/mb) | |||||||
| Season I | 16.3 | 16.7 | 16.8 | 16.6 | 16.3 | 16.5 | 0.076 b |
| Season II | 16.2 | 16.6 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 16.5 | 16.6 | 0.200 b |
| UW (%)c | |||||||
| Season I | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 0.781 a |
| Season II | 2.4 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 0.290 a |
| NW (%) | |||||||
| Season I | 70.8 | 66.9 | 66.0 | 63.3 | 72.2 | 68.0 | 0.244 a |
| Season II | 75.6 | 64.5 | 68.9 | 62.9 | 69.6 | 68.5 | 0.028 a |
| OW (%)d | |||||||
| Season I | 13.2 | 13.2 | 11.9 | 15.7 | 8.8 | 12.5 | 0.278 a |
| Season II | 10.4 | 15.7 | 14.0 | 16.2 | 12.8 | 13.7 | 0.355 a |
| OB (%)e | |||||||
| Season I | 12.4 | 15.7 | 18.3 | 18.1 | 16.7 | 16.2 | 0.396 a |
| Season II | 11.6 | 15.3 | 15.7 | 17.6 | 14.1 | 14.8 | 0.454 a |
| Respiratory problems (%)f | |||||||
| Season I | 17.2 | 15.7 | 16.2 | 15.7 | 18.1 | 16.6 | 0.951 a |
| Season II | 19.2 | 14.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 16.0 | 0.624 a |
| Consumption of medicines (%)g | |||||||
| Season I | 5.6 | 3.3 | 7.7 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 5.1 | 0.231 a |
| Season II | 4.8 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 0.973 a |
| Sport (equal or above 3 times/week) (%) | |||||||
| Season I | 42.0 | 57.0 | 44.7 | 42.4 | 37.4 | 44.8 | <0.001 a |
| Season II | 44.8 | 57.9 | 47.7 | 47.6 | 40.1 | 47.7 | 0.003 a |
| Outdoor sports (%) | |||||||
| Season I | 31.6 | 26.4 | 31.9 | 27.1 | 23.8 | 28.3 | 0.224 a |
| Season II | 41.6* | 35.5* | 40.9* | 36.7* | 28.2 | 36.7* | 0.021 a |
| Swimming (indoor) (%) | |||||||
| Season I | 3.6 | 13.6 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 3.5 | 6.0 | <0.001 a |
| Season II | 5.2 | 12.0 | 8.5 | 5.7 | 4.4 | 7.2 | 0.008 a |
| Outdoor play (above 1 h/day) (%) | |||||||
| Season I | 35.6 | 25.6 | 28.5 | 40.0 | 36.1 | 33.0 | 0.003 a |
| Season II | 72.0* | 59.9* | 66.4* | 80.0* | 74.4* | 70.3* | <0.001 a |
asignificance level by chi-squared test among frequencies in the various cities
bsignificance level by one-way ANOVA among average values in the various cities
cBMI cut-off point for age and sex set at “-2z score” according to Cole et al. [26]
dInclude children whose BMI is comprised between the 85th and 95th percentiles specific for age and sex according to Cole et al. [25]
eInclude children whose BMI is above the 95th percentile specific for age and sex according to Cole et al. [25]
fbeyond the common cold
gin addition to common remedies such as antibiotics, antipyretics and anti-inflammatory agents
*p-value <0.05 by chi-squared test between frequencies in the two seasons