Associação entre estado nutricional, hábitos alimentares e nível de atividade física em escolares / Association between nutritional status, food habits and physical activity level in schoolchildren

OBJETIVO: Analisar a relação entre estado nutricional, hábitos alimentares e nível de atividade física em escolares. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se estudo transversal com 661 escolares de 6-14 anos de idade, matriculados nas escolas públicas e privadas da área urbana da cidade. Um questionário semiestruturado foi aplicado para coleta das variáveis demográficas, socioeconômicas, antropométricas e nível de atividade física. Os escolares foram classificados segundo critérios para índice de massa corporal por idade, percentual de gordura corporal e nível de atividade física, respectivamente. Os dados dietéticos foram obtidos por meio de questionário de frequência alimentar validado e específico para crianças e adolescentes, a partir do qual o consumo alimentar foi avaliado segundo o Recommended Foods Score adaptado, cuja finalidade é a avaliação da qualidade global da dieta com enfoque no consumo de alimentos saudáveis. RESULTADOS: Elevadas frequências de excesso de peso segundo índice de massa corporal por idade (20,1%) e percentual de gordura corporal (22,8%), bem como inatividade física (80,3%), foram observadas entre os escolares. Baixas pontuações no escore de consumo foram encontradas para 77,2% dos escolares. Não foi observada associação significativa entre o excesso de peso e inatividade física ou consumo alimentar (p > 0,05). CONCLUSÃO: Os escolares apresentaram elevada frequência de excesso de peso, que de forma isolada não foi associada a alta inatividade física e baixa qualidade da dieta. Assim, mais estudos devem ser realizados para identificar outros fatores além dos descritos que possam estar influenciando a presença do excesso de peso nessa população.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relation between nutritional status, food habits and physical activity level in schoolchildren. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 661 schoolchildren, from 6 to 14 years old, enrolled in public and private schools located in the urban area of Ouro Preto, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied to collect data on demographic, socio-economic, anthropometric and level of physical activity variables. Schoolchildren were classified according to criteria for body mass index by age, body fat percentage and physical activity level, respectively. Dietary data were collected through a validated food frequency questionnaire specific for children and adolescents. Food consumption was evaluated according to an adaptation of the Recommended Foods Score, whose objective is the assessment of overall diet quality with a focus on healthy food consumption. RESULTS: We observed high frequency of overweight according to body mass index per age (20.1%) and body fat percentage (22.8%), as well as physical inactivity (80.3%) among schoolchildren. We also found low scores on the Recommended Foods Score in 77.2% of students. There was no significant relation between overweight and physical inactivity or food consumption (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Schoolchildren had a high frequency of overweight, which, alone, was not associated with the high physical inactivity and the low quality diet observed. Therefore, more studies should be performed to identify other factors besides those already described, which may be influencing overweight in this population.

Association between nutritional status, food habits and physical activity level in schoolchildren.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relation between nutritional status, food habits and physical activity level in schoolchildren. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 661 schoolchildren, from 6 to 14 years old, enrolled in public and private schools located in the urban area of Ouro Preto, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied to collect data on demographic, socio-economic, anthropometric and level of physical activity variables. Schoolchildren were classified according to criteria for body mass index by age, body fat percentage and physical activity level, respectively. Dietary data were collected through a validated food frequency questionnaire specific for children and adolescents. Food consumption was evaluated according to an adaptation of the Recommended Foods Score, whose objective is the assessment of overall diet quality with a focus on healthy food consumption. RESULTS: We observed high frequency of overweight according to body mass index per age (20.1%) and body fat percentage (22.8%), as well as physical inactivity (80.3%) among schoolchildren. We also found low scores on the Recommended Foods Score in 77.2% of students. There was no significant relation between overweight and physical inactivity or food consumption (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Schoolchildren had a high frequency of overweight, which, alone, was not associated with the high physical inactivity and the low quality diet observed. Therefore, more studies should be performed to identify other factors besides those already described, which may be influencing overweight in this population.

Anthropometric measurements and obesity diagnosis in schoolchildren.

AIM: To evaluate whether anthropometric methods such as arm muscle area, arm fat area, Rohrer index, conicity index, and waist-to-height ratio and the commonly used body mass index method are suitable for obesity screening in a multiethnic paediatric population. METHOD: A cross-sectional population study was carried out in the city of Ouro Preto, Brazil, in 2006. Schoolchildren (n = 788) aged 6-15 years were selected by the stratified random sampling procedure by the proportion of students according to age and gender in all schools. Nonparametric receiver-operating characteristic analysis was used to define the cut-off for obesity for each method studied, using the tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance technique as the reference method. RESULTS: Arm fat area measurements and Rohrer index were most suitable for adiposity screening in prepubertal and pubertal boys and in pubertal and prepubertal girls, respectively. In postpubertal period, the Rohrer index was the most suitable body fat assessment method in both genders. CONCLUSION: Body mass index presented the best balance between sensitivity and specificity only in the prepubertal period and postpubertal boys. Anthropometric measurements, especially arm fat area measurements and Rohrer index, are useful for screening of adiposity in a multiethnic paediatric population.

Derivation and external validation of a simple prediction model for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Brazilian urban population.

A risk score model was developed based in a population of 1,224 individuals from the general population without known diabetes aging 35 years or more from an urban Brazilian population sample in order to select individuals who should be screened in subsequent testing and improve the efficacy of public health assurance. External validation was performed in a second, independent, population from a different city ascertained through a similar epidemiological protocol. The risk score was developed by multiple logistic regression and model performance and cutoff values were derived from a receiver operating characteristic curve. Model's capacity of predicting fasting blood glucose levels was tested analyzing data from a 5-year follow-up protocol conducted in the general population. Items independently and significantly associated with diabetes were age, BMI and known hypertension. Sensitivity, specificity and proportion of further testing necessary for the best cutoff value were 75.9, 66.9 and 37.2%, respectively. External validation confirmed the model's adequacy (AUC equal to 0.72). Finally, model score was also capable of predicting fasting blood glucose progression in non-diabetic individuals in a 5-year follow-up period. In conclusion, this simple diabetes risk score was able to identify individuals with an increased likelihood of having diabetes and it can be used to stratify subpopulations in which performing of subsequent tests is necessary and probably cost-effective.

Cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents living in an urban area of Southeast of Brazil: Ouro Preto Study.

This study aims to identify risk factors for cardiovascular disorders in schoolchildren living in Ouro Preto City, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out in a population-based sampling of schoolchildren (6-14 years old), randomly selected and stratified by the proportion of students according to age and gender in each schools of the city. Biochemical, clinical and anthropometric variables as well as physical activity and family history were used in a logistic regression model for obesity or arterial hypertension. Out of 780 schoolchildren sampled, the risk of obesity was greater in subjects presenting high triglyceride and low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, and those whose parents were obese, while the risk of hypertension was high in obese subjects and those who presented low birth weight. It was observed that 44.4% of the schoolchildren were exposed to two or three cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and 8.2% were exposed to four or six factors. These findings should be considered in preventive measures to reduce the future risk for CVD among schoolchildren in Brazil.