Abstract
Background. Overweight and obesity arise from a complex range of genetic, environmental, behavioral, educational, and socioeconomic factors. The present study explored the sedentary practices and some life habits related to health among children from the school population of Uruguaiana (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to characterize the life habits of the school boys and girls from fourth grade (9–10 years old). Results: A total of 470 fourth-grade boys and girls (9–10 years old) participated in the study. As regards the variables linked to habits, 24% of the boys and girls answered they had not had breakfast the day they completed the questionnaire and 51.8% stated they did not have breakfast any given day of the week. Regarding sedentary habits, 25.3% of children watched TV or played video games five or more hours a day and 9% rarely played sports with their parents or caregivers. Statistical significance was recorded between “number of hours watching TV and playing video games” and “playing sports with parents or caregivers” (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Association between the times spent watching TV or playing video games and the practice of physical exercise in the family proves once again the importance of the family in education for the health of children. The school provides direct access to schoolchildren and their parents to launch numerous health education programs.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization, childhood obesity is a public health problem, whose prevalence has increased in recent years with more than 100 million affected in 2015 [1,2].If current trends continue, in 2022 there will be more children with obesity than with underweight [3].Overweight and obesity in children cause significant impacts on the physical and mental health of children, with a tendency toward obesity in adulthood and suffering from noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases [4,5]
To calculate the minimum sample size, it was taken into account the number of schools, the number of children enrolled in the fourth grade, and the number of classes
Thirty-eight percent were children from the morning group, 56.7% were from the afternoon group, and 5.3% were from the integrative group
Summary
According to the World Health Organization, childhood obesity is a public health problem, whose prevalence has increased in recent years with more than 100 million affected in 2015 [1,2].If current trends continue, in 2022 there will be more children with obesity than with underweight [3].Overweight and obesity in children cause significant impacts on the physical and mental health of children, with a tendency toward obesity in adulthood and suffering from noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases [4,5]. According to the World Health Organization, childhood obesity is a public health problem, whose prevalence has increased in recent years with more than 100 million affected in 2015 [1,2]. In England, a third (33.5%) of children aged 10 years are classified as overweight or obese [6]. In Latin America, it is estimated that between 42.4 and 51.8 million children and adolescents are overweight or obese, representing 20 to 25% of the total population of children and adolescents [7]. The present study explored the sedentary practices and some life habits related to health among children from the school population of Uruguaiana (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to characterize the life habits of the school boys and girls from fourth grade (9–10 years old)
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