The prevalence of obesity in public school children

Abstract

Objectives: To Identify the obesity prevalence in children from public schools in Parnaíba. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional, quantitative study, including 377 students from 07 to 11 years of age, both sexes, divided into 3 public schools from Parnaíba. The children were anthropometrically evaluated, through the measures of weight (kg) and height (cm) and, afterwards, the body mass index (BMI). The subjects were classified regarding their nutritional status: low weight, normal, overweight and obese. It was also applied a questionnaire, in which the students answered questions related to physical activity and sedentary habits. The data were organized in a spreadsheet using the Excel Program. The statistical analysis was described in estimated percentages for each variable in the study. The BMI values were also calculated by the program (BMI=weight/height*height). Results: The sample was composed of 45.89% males and 54.11% females. The majority (61.27%) of the students was classified with normal weight. It was verified that 26.79% of the children were overweight and 11.14% obese, with higher prevalence in females (30.39 and 12.75%, respectively), compared to males (22.54 and 9.25%, respectively). Conclusion: It was the first epidemiological study, population-based, on the students’ nutritional status carried out in Parnaíba, Piauí. Most of the students had a normal nutritional state, but it was also noticed the important prevalence of overweight and obese children.