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Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children

Objectives: Childhood obesity is a public health concern in Portugal. Socio-demographic and behavioral factors are highly associated with obesity but are not clearly understood. This article aims to update the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children and to explore the influence a...

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Main Authors: Daniel D. Bingham, Maria Ines Varela Silva, Maria M. Ferrao, Augusta Gama, Maria I. Mourao, Helena Nogueira, Vitor R. Marques, Cristina Padez
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Published: 2013
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2134/14009
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author Daniel D. Bingham
Maria Ines Varela Silva
Maria M. Ferrao
Augusta Gama
Maria I. Mourao
Helena Nogueira
Vitor R. Marques
Cristina Padez
author_facet Daniel D. Bingham
Maria Ines Varela Silva
Maria M. Ferrao
Augusta Gama
Maria I. Mourao
Helena Nogueira
Vitor R. Marques
Cristina Padez
author_sort Daniel D. Bingham (7152533)
collection Figshare
description Objectives: Childhood obesity is a public health concern in Portugal. Socio-demographic and behavioral factors are highly associated with obesity but are not clearly understood. This article aims to update the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children and to explore the influence and risks of socio-demographic factors and behavioral factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study of Portuguese children aged 3–10 years from all 18 mainland districts took place between March 2009 and January 2010. The sample was composed by 17,136 children, 3–10 years of age (8,455 boys; 8,681 girls). Height, weight, and other anthropometric measurements were obtained by trained technicians. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated along with other anthropometric variables. Data analyses took place between April and September 2012. The overweight/obesity classification was established by age-and sex-specific BMI cut-off points as defined by the International obesity task force (IOTF). Parents completed questionnaires about socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of the family. Results: Almost 28% of the Portuguese children were overweight or obese (19.7% overweight; 8.2% obese). Prevalence was greater in girls than in boys. Logistic regression models found that the odds of childhood obesity were significantly affected by biological, socio-demographic, and behavioral factors. Conclusions: The protective factors against childhood overweight/obesity in this sample of Portuguese children are: (i) being male; (ii) having been breastfeed; (iii) having been born from mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy; (iv) engaging in little sedentary behaviors (TV, PC, and playing electronic games); (iv) performing at least 1 h of moderate physical activity every day; and (v) having parents with higher educational levels who also have their BMI within the healthy ranges.
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spelling rr-article-96200152013-01-01T00:00:00Z Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children Daniel D. Bingham (7152533) Maria Ines Varela Silva (7238876) Maria M. Ferrao (7243187) Augusta Gama (7243190) Maria I. Mourao (7243193) Helena Nogueira (7243196) Vitor R. Marques (7243199) Cristina Padez (7239053) Evolutionary biology not elsewhere classified Other health sciences not elsewhere classified Anthropology not elsewhere classified untagged Evolutionary Biology Anthropology Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified Objectives: Childhood obesity is a public health concern in Portugal. Socio-demographic and behavioral factors are highly associated with obesity but are not clearly understood. This article aims to update the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children and to explore the influence and risks of socio-demographic factors and behavioral factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study of Portuguese children aged 3–10 years from all 18 mainland districts took place between March 2009 and January 2010. The sample was composed by 17,136 children, 3–10 years of age (8,455 boys; 8,681 girls). Height, weight, and other anthropometric measurements were obtained by trained technicians. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated along with other anthropometric variables. Data analyses took place between April and September 2012. The overweight/obesity classification was established by age-and sex-specific BMI cut-off points as defined by the International obesity task force (IOTF). Parents completed questionnaires about socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of the family. Results: Almost 28% of the Portuguese children were overweight or obese (19.7% overweight; 8.2% obese). Prevalence was greater in girls than in boys. Logistic regression models found that the odds of childhood obesity were significantly affected by biological, socio-demographic, and behavioral factors. Conclusions: The protective factors against childhood overweight/obesity in this sample of Portuguese children are: (i) being male; (ii) having been breastfeed; (iii) having been born from mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy; (iv) engaging in little sedentary behaviors (TV, PC, and playing electronic games); (iv) performing at least 1 h of moderate physical activity every day; and (v) having parents with higher educational levels who also have their BMI within the healthy ranges. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/14009 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Socio-demographic_and_behavioural_risk_factors_associated_with_the_high_prevalence_of_overweight_and_obesity_in_Portuguese_children/9620015 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
spellingShingle Evolutionary biology not elsewhere classified
Other health sciences not elsewhere classified
Anthropology not elsewhere classified
untagged
Evolutionary Biology
Anthropology
Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified
Daniel D. Bingham
Maria Ines Varela Silva
Maria M. Ferrao
Augusta Gama
Maria I. Mourao
Helena Nogueira
Vitor R. Marques
Cristina Padez
Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children
title Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children
title_full Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children
title_fullStr Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children
title_full_unstemmed Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children
title_short Socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children
title_sort socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in portuguese children
topic Evolutionary biology not elsewhere classified
Other health sciences not elsewhere classified
Anthropology not elsewhere classified
untagged
Evolutionary Biology
Anthropology
Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified
url https://hdl.handle.net/2134/14009