The population included students from Primary and Secondary Education levels (6 to 18 years old) from public, subsidized private, and private schools. This study applied a cross-sectional study design. Therefore, this investigation describes the somatotype components and somatotype as a whole in youth from Valparaiso, Chile, and contrasts them with previous Chilean somatotype data obtained using the same methodology. In this sense, somatotype has helped characterize specific populations of children. Recent studies have shown higher scores in the adolescent endomorphic component 14, 18, 19. In Chile, somatotype studies are scarce, and they have been primarily performed by a group from Valparaíso, Temuco, and the Metropolitan Region 12. In addition, several researchers have acknowledged the value of somatotypological characteristics in developing and maturing populations, as well as their sexual dimorphism 10, 11, 14, 18, 19- 20. Somatotype is highly correlated with the physical condition and body composition of athletes and with the identification of their physical characteristics 9, 17 and health-related risk factors 18. Several methods are used for calculating the somatotype the Heath-Carter anthropometric method is the most commonly used method 12, 15, 16. Somatotype corresponds to the estimation of body shape and composition, and it is expressed with three numeric values that correspond to the endomorphic, mesomorphic, and ectomorphic components, providing information on relative adiposity, musculoskeletal development, and relative linearity, respectively, thus providing the morphological characteristics of individuals as a whole 15. However, certain aspects of body composition are undervalued, particularly somatotype, even though studies throughout the world have shown that these factors are highly valuable in contributing to the understanding of diet, growth, development, physical exercise, physical self-concept, and disease in different age groups 9, 10, 11, 12, 13- 14.

There are even technical standards in the country issued by the Nutrition Unit of the Ministry of Health 8. The most commonly used variables in Chile are size, weight, and body mass index (BMI). Governments and researchers have focused on a variety of nutritional variables to overcome these issues. A rapid increase in overweight children has been reported in most Latin American countries 5, and Chile is no exception 6, 7. In recent decades, trends of overweight and obesity have been identified in most of the population worldwide, particularly among youth 1, 2, 3- 4.

Endo mesomorph female