[Body adiposity and abdominal muscle resistance in young people with Down syndrome].

OBJECTIVE

to verify the relationship between abdominal muscle endurance and the level of body fat, measured through the waist-to-height ratio, in young people with Down syndrome (DS).

SUBJECT AND METHOD: A comparative descriptive study was carried out in 115 young people with DS (n = 65 men and n = 50 women) aged between 10 and 18 years, from the Maule Region. Age, weight, height, and waist circumference were evaluated. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. The abdominal muscle endurance test (AME) was evaluated in 60 seconds and clas sified into two categories (low AME and acceptable AME).

RESULTS

Subjects of both sexes classified with adequate levels of AME showed lower WHtR and BMI values (p < 0.05), while those classified with low levels of AME showed higher values of WHtR and BMI (p < 0.05). The correlations between adiposity and AME were negative and ranged in both sexes from r = 0.20 to 0.25, p < 0.05. Conclu sion: The study showed that young people of both sexes with DS classified with adequate levels of AME, presented decreased values of WHtR.