Food consumption, physical activity level and sedentary behavior in schoolchildren

• Published in: Revista brasileira de cineantropometria & desempenho humano 2020, Vol.22
• Main Authors: Gordia, Alex Pinheiro, Dall’Agnol, Jadiane Aparecida Tiago, Mendes, Edmar Lacerda, Santos, Amanda, Lourenço, Camilo Luis Monteiro, Quadros, Teresa Maria Bianchini de, Andaki, Alynne Christian Ribeiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: SPORT SCIENCES
• ISSN: 1415-8426; 1980-0037; 1980-0037
• DOI: 10.1590/1980-0037.2020v22e73478

Abstract Dietary intake inquiry, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) surveys are practical tools for identifying habits among the pediatric population; however, the results of describing these behaviors appear to be restricted to large centers. The objective was to analyze dietary intake, PA and SB level in schoolchildren. Children from 6 to 10 years old, coming from public and private schools were evaluated for anthropometry, dietary pattern, PA and SB level. A total of 1408 children (48.1% male) with a mean age of 8.05 (± 1.53) years participated in the study. Only 4.6%, 4.9% and 17.2% of children met the recommendations for fruit, milk and dairy products, respectively. 40.4% and 59.5% of the children did not meet the recommendation for soft drinks and meat consumption, respectively. More than 75% of children met the recommendation for the consumption of packaged snacks, candies and beans. There was a difference between genders only for candy consumption (p=0.003), with a higher proportion of boys meeting the recommendations. Approximately half and one third of the children complied with the recommendations for moderate to vigorous PA and SB, respectively. Risk behaviors for cardiovascular disease were observed in children, characterized by low consumption of fruits and vegetables, low levels of PA and excessive time in SB. Resumo Inquéritos de consumo alimentar, atividade física (AF) e comportamento sedentário (CS) constituem instrumentos práticos na identificação de hábitos entre a população pediátrica. No entanto, os resultados de descrição desses comportamentos parecem estar restritos a grandes centros. Objetivou-se analisar consumo alimentar, nível de AF e CS em escolares. Crianças de seis a 10 anos de idade, oriundas de escolas públicas e privadas foram avaliadas quanto à antropometria, padrão dietético, nível de AF e de CS. Um total de 1408 crianças (48,1% do sexo masculino) com média de idade de 8,05 (± 1,53) anos participou do estudo. Apenas 4,6%, 4,9% e 17,2% das crianças atenderam às recomendações de consumo de frutas, leite e derivados e verduras/legumes, respectivamente. Não atenderam a recomendação para consumo de refrigerante e carnes 40,4% e 59,5% das crianças, respectivamente. Mais de 75% das crianças atenderam a recomendação para o consumo de salgadinho de pacote, doces e feijão. Houve diferença entre os sexos somente para o consumo de doces (p=0,003), com maior proporção de meninos a atender as recomendações. Aproximadam