Low body weight/thinness, overweight and obesity of children and adolescents from a Brazilian region of low economic status

Revista Paulista de Pediatria

Dartagnan Pinto Guedes¹  Francisléia Nascimento Almeida¹  Jaime Tolentino M. Neto¹  Maria De Fátima De M. Maia¹  Thatiana Maia Tolentino¹ 

关键词: anthropometry;    body mass index;    nutritional status;    child;    adolescent;    antropometría;    índice de masa corporal;    estado nutricional;    niño;    adolescente;    antropometria;    índice de massa corporal;    estado nutricional;    criança;    adolescente;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0103-05822013000400004

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of low body weight/thinness, overweight and obesity in a representative sample of children and adolescents from a Brazilian region with low economic development. METHODS: A total of 982 girls and 986 boys, aged seven to 17 years old and assisted by Segundo Tempo Program, from Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were included in the study. Low body weight/thinness, overweight and obesity were defined based on body mass cut-off indexes recommended by the International Obesity Task Force. The prevalence of the nutritional status according to sex and age was compared by chi-square test. RESULTS: In girls, the frequency of low body weight/thinness, overweight and obesity was 4.1, 18.4 and 3.8%, respectively; in boys, these percentages were 6.3, 13.2 and 2.9%, respectively. The low body weight/thinness for girls raised from 2.7% (7-10 years old) to 5.5% (15-17 years old); the body weight excess (overweight and obesity) decreased from 30.1 to 16.2% for the same age groups. In boys, the corresponding trends were from 3.2 to 9.4% for low body weight/thinness, and from 23.4 to 9.2%, for body weight excess. CONCLUSIONS: The data indicate that, even in a region with low economic status, the body weight excess was the main problem associated with nutritional health. The high overweight and obesity prevalence rates indicate the need of public policies for promoting healthy feeding behaviors and physical activity.

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