Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
Renata Maria Galvao Cintra, Luiza Cristina Domingures Dias, Valeria Nobrega and Thabata Koester Weber
Sao Paulo State University, Brazil
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci
Introduction: Childhood obesity has become a public health problem and presents multifactorial causes. Objective: To investigate the influence of environmental factors on the development of overweight or obesity in children in fundamental school age. Methodology: Students at 10 years old (n=102) from public school in the city of Botucatu, S�£o Paulo, Brazil were evaluated. Two groups of children were assessed: G1 composed of children with overweight or obesity and G2 eutrophic children. To determine the nutritional status, it was used the Body Mass Index (BMI) for age and sex, marked on growth charts. The cutoff values used were those recommended by WHO percentiles 85 and 95 for overweight and obesity, respectively. Data about children's life style, familiar characteristics and nutritional status of the parents were obtained. The t-test students were used in the comparison of the groups and significant â��Pâ�� was 5%. Results: The mean of weight and height of group 1 is 82.0�±7.5 kg and 158�±0.07 cm and for group 2 it was 42.0�±5.2 kg and 157�±0.06 cm, respectively. When analyze the environmental factors, statistically significant difference were identified between the practice of physical activity outside school, hours watching television and the number of siblings (p=0.01). As for the type of transport used to go to school, the majority was the bus in groups, 67% in G1 and 89% in G2. Few children usually go walking to school, 4% (G1) and 1% (G2). There was higher percentage of parents with excess body weight in the G1. The risk factors that contribute to the development of overweight in children are also presented in the scientific literature and showed our results. Conclusion: Lesser physical activity and the family profile were identified as determinants factors in excess of weight in the population of children.
Email: recintra@ibb.unesp.br