Birth-related and current factors associated with physical inactivity in the leisure time in Brazilian adolescents.

BACKGROUND: To determine whether biological and sociodemographic factors at birth and current factors are associated with insufficient physical activity during leisure among Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: A school-based cross-sectional study with national coverage was conducted involving Brazilian adolescents 12 to 17 years of age in municipalities with more than 100 thousand residents. The sample consisted of 74,589 adolescents who participated in the Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents. Insufficient leisure-time physical activity was categorized based on total volume (<300 minutes/week = insufficiently active; >300 minutes/week = sufficiently active). Poisson regression models were used to assess associated factors. RESULTS: Most adolescents were classified as insufficiently active (54.8%; 95%CI: 53.7-55.9). The variables associated with insufficient physical activity during leisure were the female sex (70.4%; 95%CI: 68.8-71.9), age between 15 and 17 years (57.8%; 95%CI: 56.3-59.2), pertaining to the low or middle class (54.5%; 95%CI: 52.8-56.1), and not being overweight (55.9%; 95%CI: 54.6-57.1). CONCLUSION: Contrary to our hypothesis, birth related factors (e.g., low birth weight, preterm birth and exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age) are not associated with physical inactivity. The prevalence of insufficient physical activity during leisure was high among the adolescents evaluated and was associated with sociodemographic characteristics as well as nutritional status. It is necessary to implement strategies focused on physical activity at schools.

Prevalence, Trends and Conditions for the DTP3 Vaccine: A 25-Year Historical Perspective.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to verify the prevalence of vaccination coverage, tendency and factors of the third dose of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis-DTP3 in surveys over the period of 25 years in a state of the Northeast of Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional and temporal series, utilizing ad hoc database, were extracted from the Health and Nutrition State Research 1991, 1997, 2006 and 2015/2016. Children from 12 to 23 months of age with proof in the vaccination card were included. The vaccination coverage (outcome) of each year was calculated, the tendency throughout the period was analyzed and the associations through Pearson chi-squared were tested. The results of the first and last survey were compared with a significance level of 5%. The reasons of the crude prevalence and confidence intervals of 95% were estimated. RESULTS: The vaccination coverage in 1991, 1997, 2006 and 2015/2016 was 77.6%, 82.7%, 89.7% and 72.9%, respectively, with an increasing tendency from 1991 to 2006 (p<0.001) and decreasing between 2006 and 2015/2016 (p<0.001). Factors in 1991: low socioeconomic conditions; lack of access to health service and pre-natal care, nutritional deficit and diarrhea in children (p<0.005). In 2015/2016, low socioeconomic conditions and diarrhea persisted and a larger family size, black, negative self-perception of happiness, both from the mother (p<0.05), were identified. CONCLUSION: The factors of the recent decrease of vaccination coverage are complex, multifactorial, dependent of context and even on subjective aspects of the maternal perception. Its identification contributed to the understanding of inadequate vaccination at the state level.

Health promotion initiatives at school related to overweight, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia in adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Recife, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of diseases such as dyslipidemia, systemic arterial hypertension, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents has brought about a change in the epidemiologic profile of the pediatric population. As action to promote health in the school environment is a useful tool for changing the pattern of health/disease in the young population, the present study aimed to identify schools that promote healthy eating and physical activity and to study the relationship between these practices and the prevalence of overweight, hypertension, insulin resistance and hypercholesterolemia in adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted with 2400 adolescents aged from 12 to 17 years old and participating in the "Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents" (ERICA - Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescente). The association between dependent (overweight, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia) and independent variables (implementation of health promoting initiative in schools) was investigated using the chi-square test and prevalence ratio (PR) with a confidence index (CI) of 95%. RESULTS: The unsatisfactory implementation of a "health promoting environment" (PR = 1.02; CI 95%: 1.0; 1.04) and "partnerships with the health sector" (PR = 1.03; CI 95%: 1.01; 1.05) were linked to a high prevalence of overweight in adolescents. Hypercholesterolemia was found to be higher in the schools with unsatisfactory implementation of "healthy eating and health on the scholar curriculum" (PR = 1.71; CI 95%: 1.22; 2.44) and those lacking a "healthy-eating promoting environment" (PR = 1.29; CI 95%: 1.10; 1.54). Schools with unsatisfactory implementation of a "health-eating promoting environment" (PR = 1.36; CI 95%: 1.04; 1.79) and those lacking "partnership with the health sector" (PR = 2.12; CI 95%: 1.38; 3.24) had more adolescents with insulin resistance. There was no association between hypertension and any other component studied. CONCLUSION: Schools which have implemented adequate health promotion in their curriculums showed a lower prevalence of overweight, insulin resistance and hypercholesterolemia in adolescents.

Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity in children under five in Alagoas, Northeast of Brazil; a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and associated factors with overweight and obesity among children under five in the Alagoas state, Northeast of Brazil. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population-based study. The study was based on 1115 children with an average age of 24.7 months (SD ± 16.8), and 51.7% were female. Nutritional status was classified according to BMI / age. The z score > + 1 and ≤+2 z identified children with overweight and > + 2 z score identified those with obesity, according to the standard reference of World Health Organization. To identify the variables associated with overweight and obesity was performed Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 23.9% and 7.8%, respectively, 33.8% for girls and 29.4% in boys. After adjustment, the per capita income equal to or greater than 2.5 times the minimum wage, age 6 to 23 months and mother overweight and obesity remained positively associated with overweight/obesity. On the other hand, it was observed negative association between low and insufficient birth weight with child overweight/ obesity. CONCLUSIONS: The results show a similar prevalence of overweight and obesity to other studies in the country for children under five years, warning for possible impairment of adequate child growth and development .

Objetivo: Investigar la prevalencia y los factores asociados con el sobrepeso y la obesidad en niños menores de 5 años en el estado de Alagoas, al noreste de Brasil. Diseño: Estudio poblacional transversal. El estudio se basó en 1.115 niños con una edad promedio de 24,7 meses (DE ± 16,8), de los que el 51,7% eran niñas. El estado nutricional se clasificó según el IMC / edad. El score > + 1 and ≤+2 z identificaba a los niños con sobrepeso y aquellos con un score > + 2 z a aquellos con obesidad, en función de la referencia estándar de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Para identificar las variables asociadas con el sobrepeso y la obesidad se realizó un análisis de regresión de Poisson. Resultados: La prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad fue del 23,9% y del 7,8%, respectivamente, del 33,8% en las niñas y del 29,4% en los niños. Tras el ajuste, la renta per cápita igual o superior a 2,5 veces el salario mínimo, la edad de 6 a 23 meses y el sobrepeso y la obesidad maternos seguían asociándose positivamente con el sobrepeso/obesidad. Por otro lado, se observó una asociación negativa entre el peso al nacimiento bajo o insuficiente con el sobrepeso/ obesidad infantil. Conclusiones: Los resultados muestran una prevalencia similar de sobrepeso y obesidad a la de otros estudios en este país para los niños menores de 5 años, alertando de una posible alteración del crecimiento y desarrollo del niño.

Factors associated with nutritional status in infants attending public daycare centers in the municipality of Recife, PE, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the nutritional status of infants attending daycare centers in the Municipality of Recife and to verify its association with potential determinant factors. METHODS: This is a cross sectional study conducted with 321 infants in the age group of 6 to 30 months from August to October 2004. The nutritional status was assessed through length-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length and body mass index-for-age using as reference pattern that of the World Health Organization. Multivariable linear regression analysis assessed the effect of maternal socioeconomic and demographical indicators, and child related variables on infant length-for-age. RESULTS: The percentages of malnutrition (Z score < -2) were found in 13.4%, 2.8%, 0.6% and 0.6% for length-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length and body mass index-for-age, respectively. The final model of the linear multivariable regression analysis showed that the socioeconomic (type of roof and water supply) and child biological conditions (birthweight, age and hemoglobin concentration) were the variables that significantly influenced the variation of length-for-age, explaining 3.8% and 12.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Among the studied variables, child biological factors had a higher influence in the variation of length-for-age than the socioeconomic ones.

Does low birthweight influence the nutritional status of children at school age? A cohort study in northeast Brazil.

Birthweight is recognized to be a determinant of a full term infant's early growth pattern; however, few studies have explored whether this effect is sustained into school age, especially in developing countries. We have used a cohort study from North East Brazil to investigate factors determining the anthropometric status of eight-year-old children born at full-term with low or appropriate weight. A cohort of 375 full-term infants was recruited at birth in six maternity hospitals between 1993 and 1994, in a poor region of the interior of the State of Pernambuco. At the age of 8 years, 86 born with low birthweight and 127 with appropriate birthweight were traced. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to identify the net effect of socioeconomic conditions, maternal nutritional status and child factors on weight-for-age and height-for-age. An enter approach was used to estimate the contribution of different factors on child anthropometry. Birthweight had little influence on child nutritional status at school age. Maternal BMI and height together were the biggest contributors to variation in child weight-for-age (12.3%) and height-for-age (13.2%), followed by family socioeconomic conditions. Maternal height as a proxy of maternal constraint was the single factor that best explained the variation in both indices (6.2% for weight-for-age and 11.1% for height-for-age). Haemoglobin level measured at eight years made a small but significant contribution to variation in height-for-age (5.6%) and weight for age (1.4%). Maternal nutritional status, reflecting genetic inheritance and the poor socioeconomic conditions of this population, was the most important determinant of the nutritional status of children at school age, rather than birthweight.