Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective To investigate whether caregivers’ attitudes, beliefs, practices, alimentary habits, and nutritional status influence the alimentary habits and nutritional status of children aged six to nine years. Methods This cross-sectional study included 164 children and a family member (caregiver) each (n=164), carried out in the family health units of the municipality of Ribeirão Preto (SP), Brazil. Weight and height measurements were performed; each child was then evaluated by the application of both the Child Feeding Questionnaire and 24h recall (for calculating the Healthy Eating Index Revised), in addition to the assessment of adherence to healthy eating steps of the Ministry of Health, through a questionnaire. Results The results showed that the prevalence of being overweight was 18.3% in children and 32.9% in caregivers, and the prevalence of obesity was 15.9% and 37.9%, respectively. Most of the 56 children categorized as overweight also had overweight caregivers (82.1%; n=46). Concerns regarding children’s weight control were higher among caregivers responsible for overweight children (3.6±1.29). In contrast, caregivers responsible for children below or at normal weight demonstrated a greater tendency toward getting children to eat (3.3±0.97 and 3.9±0.99, respectively). The average score; of the children’s Brazilian Healthy Eating Index Revised (50.0±13.6) was similar to that of their caregivers (56.5±12.1). Conclusions Caregivers have a direct influence on the nutritional status and eating habits of children; therefore, they should be targeted in the processes of nutritional intervention for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.
Highlights
Obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat at a level that could be malign to health [1,2]
Caregivers have a direct influence on the nutritional status and eating habits of children; they should be targeted in the processes of nutritional intervention for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity
There was a pronounced increase in the proportion of overweight children in Brazil, mainly in the age group of 5 to 9 years of age, between 1989 and 2009
Summary
Obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat at a level that could be malign to health [1,2]. There was a pronounced increase in the proportion of overweight children in Brazil, mainly in the age group of 5 to 9 years of age, between 1989 and 2009. Among boys in this age group, overweight individuals reached 34.8%, and among girls, this index reached 32%, whereas the overall obesity rate among boys was 4.1% and among girls 11.8% [4]. Obesity has a multifactorial character, among its main causes, and environmental factors stand out, such as socioeconomic conditions, lifestyle, and eating habits [2,5,6,7,8,9].
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