Abstract:

The body mass index (BMI) is one of the mostly used criteria to define obesity in children. However, it determines the nutritional status, while the total body fat demarcates body composition. Therefore, the objective of the study was to determine the relationship between body mass index and body fat percentage in 505 students (242 female and 263 male) of Barinas state Bolivarian High School, aged between 10 and 20 years. The research was part of the quantitative approach, a kind of field research, based on a non-experimental, correlational descriptive level and cross section. Data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software version 17.0. The results show a high correlation between BMI and body fat percentage (r: 0,75 ** for girls and r: 0,77 ** for boys, p <0,01). Also showed high and significant correlations in different age groups for both sexes. For the male G1: r: 0,81, p <0.01, G2: r: 0,82 **, p <0.01 and G3: r: 0,66 **, p <0.01. In the case of women the relationship was G1: r: 0,72 **; G2: r: 0,83 ** and G3: r: 0,81 **, p <0.01. It thus concludes that there is high positive correlation between BMI and body fat percentage in the educational institution mentioned therefore considered the use of BMI as a tool applicable for estimating nutritional status.

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