Background:

The relationship between nutritional status and physical condition in Colombian preschoolers is not well documented.

Objective:

To identify the differences in the physical condition of Colombian preschoolers of 5 years old according to the nutritional status.

Materials and Methods:

Descriptive study in 43 boys and 34 girls of 5 years old from Cúcuta, Colombia. The nutritional status was assessed with the Body Mass Index for age, and to evaluate the physical condition the PreFit battery was applied.

Results:

The proportion of thinness was 27.9% in boys and 20.6% in girls; obesity was not found in the total group. With the exception of VO2max rated as good, the other tests were classified as bad or very bad in both sexes, and in groups with low weight and without low weight. No significant differences were found in the physical condition according to the nutritional status of the boys, and between the girls, with low weight and without low weight, only a significant difference (p=0.036) was obtained in the prehensile strength of the right hand.

Conclusion:

In the preschools studied, the proportion of thinness is well above the national prevalence and there are no differences in physical condition according to the nutritional status.

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