Overweight and obesity: prevalence in children and adolescents in Northern Brazil

• Published in: Revista brasileira de crescimento e desenvolvimento humano 2020, Vol.30 (2), p.266-273
• Main Authors: Farias, Edson dos Santos, Moreira, Katia Fernanda Alves, Santos, Josivana Pontes dos, Gemelli, Ivanice Fernandes Barcellos, Costa, Gean Magalhães da, Souza, Orivaldo Florêncio de
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Body mass index; Body weight; Children; Chronic illnesses; Etiology; Obesity; Overweight; Public health; Quality of life; Teenagers
• ISSN: 0104-1282; 2175-3598
• DOI: 10.7322/jhgd.v30.10376

Introduction: Obesity is a chronic disease with a multifactorial etiology, brought about by a set of genetic, environmental and psychological factors. This may generate comorbidities that affect the quality of life and involve other risks to health. Objective: To describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school children and adolescents in Porto Velho - Rondônia, Brazil in the period  2013-2016. Methods: This study included 4165 schoolchildren aged 9 to 18 years. The students were classified as overweight and obese, according to the z score of the body mass index (BMI) for age and calculated according the WHO AnthroPlus program. Subsequently, BMI for age was categorized according to the criteria proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2007): overweight (? score z +1 ? z + 2) and obese (? score z +2). Prevalence calculations were performed using the SPSS version 20.0 program.   Results: Overall, the prevalence of overweight was 27.1%, being overweight 18.8% and obese 8.3%, in private schools 21.4% and 9.8%, public schools 17.0% and 7.2% respectively. The east zone predominated in both education networks 18.8% and 8.3% respectively. In males, the highest prevalence was at nine years old, 30.7% and 23.0%, and female, 24.3% and 13.8%. Conclusion: The magnitude of the prevalence of overweight and obesity was high and worrying among schoolchildren and adolescents in the city of Porto Velho, which demonstrates the need for public health actions aimed at the family unit, regardless of the social segment. Introdução: A obesidade é uma doença crônica com etiologia multifatorial, provocada por um conjunto de aspectos genéticos, ambientais e psicológicos. Esta pode gerar comorbidades que afetam a qualidade de vida e implicam em outros riscos à saúde. Objetivo: Descrever a prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade em crianças e adolescentes escolares em Porto Velho – RO, Brasil. 2013-2016. Método: Este estudo incluiu 4165 escolares de 9 a 18 anos. Os escolares foram classificados como sobrepeso e obeso, de acordo com o escore z do índice de massa corporal (IMC) para idade e calculado com auxílio do programa WHO AnthroPlus. Posteriormente, o IMC para idade foi categorizado conforme os critérios propostos pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS, 2007): sobrepeso (?escore z +1 ? z + 2) e obeso (? escore z +2). Os cálculos de prevalências foram feitos com o auxílio do programa SPSS versão 20.0.   Resultados: As prevalências de excesso de peso foram elevadas de