Estudio comparativo entre el desarrollo psicomotor y el estado nutricional en niños de kínder, pertenecientes a un establecimiento municipal y a uno particular de la ciudad de Temuco

Abstract

The aim of this research is to determine whether there are significant differences between psychomotor development and nutritional status in 4 to 5 year-old children that attend a municipal school and those that attend a private one. The design is non-experimental, cross-sectional and correlational and the approach is quantitative/rationalist. The sample is made-up of 54 boys and girls in kindergarten. To evaluate psychomo-tor development, the Jack Capone Test, adapted by Sergio Carrasco (1989), was used. With regards to the nutritional status, the sample group's weight and height were obtained. Results revealed that the children from the private institution showed significant differences in psychomotor development compared to the results of the children from the municipal institution. Furthermore, the overweight or obese individuals, classified as suffering from malnutrition due to excessive amounts of food, showed inferior motor perfor-mance compared to the children with normal or below average weight. With regards to body image, the higher the weight, the lower the child's own body image.