Abstract
To assess the factors associated with excess weight (overweight/obese) in school children enrolled in the public education network in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Cross-sectional study with 1187 children between 6 and 14 years of age from municipal schools in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was calculated based on the parameters of the World Health Organization, using the WHO Anthro-Plus Program. Logistic regression was used to identify the variables associated with excess weight, at a significance level of 5%. A prevalence of 24.4% of excess weight was identified. Family income and maternal education were determinants of overweight in the study population (p<0.05). Excess weight was configured as an important health problem among the students. The public power needs to implement intersectoral measures with a view to the prevention and reduction of the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school-aged children.
Highlights
Obesity and overweight are defined as the abnormal accumulation of body fat, which can entail severe implications for people’s health
The objective in this research is to assess the factors associated with excess weight in school-aged children in the municipal public education network in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil
The prevalence rate of overweight observed in the participants corresponded to 24.4%, below the Brazilian average of 47.8% according to recent IBGE data.[24]
Summary
Obesity and overweight are defined as the abnormal accumulation of body fat, which can entail severe implications for people’s health. They represent a severe public health problem, mainly due to the global trend towards increased prevalence rates and the impact they cause in society. In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults suffered from these problems and, in 2010, approximately 40 million children over five years of age were overweight.[1]. Data for 2009 from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in a study involving freshman students in all Brazilian state capitals, demonstrate that obesity and overweight were the mean nutritional problems identified. In the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, 7.2% of school-aged children were obese.[2]
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