Prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade e fatores associados em crianças e adolescentes escolares de Uberaba MG.

Abstract

Obesity has increased among children and adolescents and remains as an international matter of concern. It is a multifactorial disease and may be caused by genetic, environmental and socioeconomic factors. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated factors in children and adolescents in Uberaba-Minas Gerais - Brazil. The study included 1125 children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years old, with 681 females and 444 males. Weight and height were obtained according to guidelines of the SISVAN. The triceps, subscapular, biceps, supra-iliac, femoral and calf skinfolds were measured in triplicate. The arm, waist, abdomen and hip circumferences were measured with an inelastic tape. The body mass index (BMI) was classified as BMI percentile (%BMI) according to the criteria of the World Health Organization 2007 (WHO 2007). The percentage body fat (%BF) was obtained using the equations of Slaughter et al., 1998 from the TSF and SSF. Categorical variables were analyzed using the Chi-square test; Mann-Whitney was used for comparisons between 2 groups and multiple comparisons were performed by Kruskall Wallis followed by Dun`s test. We identified 364 subjects that were over the normal weight, 17.3% overweighted and 15.0 % were obese . In females, overweight was 18.0 % and obesity 12.5% and in males, 15.3% and 18.0% respectively. In correlating indicators of adiposity, we observed relevant associations: %BMI versus &#931;SF (r=0.722, p<0.001), %BMI versus vs. %BF (r=0.640, p<0.0001), %BMI versus WHtR (r=0.722 p<0.0001); %BMI versus AC (r=0.608, p<0.0001) and %BMI versus WC (r=0.646, p<0.0001). The &#931;SF showed very strong association with %BF (r=0.921, p<0.0001) and AC (r=0.810, p < 0.0001); strong association with WC (r=0.743, p<0.0001) and a moderate association with WHtR (r=0.560, p<0.0001) . The %BF was strongly associated with AC (r=0.758, p<0.0001 ) and WC (r=0.684, p<0.0001), and moderate with WHtR (r=0.532, p<0.0001). WHtR showed moderate associations with AC (r=0.477, p<0.0001) and WC (r=0.537, p<0.0001). Very strong associationwere found between AC and WC (r=0.949, p<0.0001). This analysis demonstrated that any of these indicators could be used to investigate aspects of body composition and relate them to factors associated with overweight and obesity. No associations between %BF and level of physical activity were found, however, in the group of overweighted males aged > 14 years it was observed moderate and positive association between %BF and time spent in sedentary activities. Associations between %BF and nutrient intake were identified, but were negative and weak. It was concluded that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren of Uberaba corroborates the reality of the condition in other Brazilian cities and is associated with multiple factors. The standardization of diagnostic criteria and instruments for measurement of food intake and physical activity are essential to provide that, in the future, comparisons between studies can be performed and represent faithfully the nutritional status of Brazilian schoolchildren.