Anthropometric Profile and Its Correlation with Age and Physical Activity in Iranian Schoolchildren: A Focus on Preadolescent Boys

Vahabidelshad, Reyhaneh; Jalili Farahani, Sima; Hosseini Fahraji, Ali; Akbari, Ali

doi:10.22054/nass.2025.89875.1197

Anthropometric Profile and Its Correlation with Age and Physical Activity in Iranian Schoolchildren: A Focus on Preadolescent Boys

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Reyhaneh vahabidelshad ¹

sima Jalili Farahani ²

Ali Hosseini Fahraji ³

Ali Akbari ⁴

¹ 1. Faculty of Motor Sciences, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, Email: reyhanevahabi@yahoo.com, Orcid: 0000-0001-9203-8281

² 2. School of Health and Sport Sciences, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK, Email: 22013607@hope.ac.uk, Orcid: 0009-0008-2987-6336

³ 3. Ali Hosseini Fahraji, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: alihsf4067@gmail.com

⁴ 4. Ali Akbari baniani, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: aliakbaribaniani@gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.22054/nass.2025.89875.1197

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the anthropometric and body composition profile and examine their age-stratified correlations with PA levels in 9- to 12-year-old male students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 male students (50 per age year from 9 to 12) selected via multi-stage cluster sampling from public schools in Urmia, Iran. Height and weight were measured to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI).
Results: Descriptive statistics showed a clear trend of increasing mean values with age for height (127.46±4.52 cm to 143.98±7.93 cm), weight (26.92±3.33 kg to 41.24±6.87 kg), BMI (15.98±3.37 kg/m² to 19.74±5.00 kg/m²), and BF% (11.42±4.11% to 14.92±4.84%). A significant inverse relationship was found between PA level and BMI (p<0.05).
Conclusion: While anthropometric measures increase with age as expected, the development of BMI and body composition in 9-12-year-old boys is not a linear process. The stability of BMI and BF% appears to strengthen in the pre-adolescent period (ages 11-12), whereas height and weight remain highly variable.

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