Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Children in Private Schools in Aracaju

Introduction: Childhood obesity is a matter of growing public health concern worldwide and may be associated with risks of illness and premature death in adulthood. In the light of increasing numbers of individuals presenting excessive weight, studies in Brazilian schools have shown that the prevalence of obesity and overweight among children varies according to the region, age group and type of school attended (public or private).
Objective: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children in private schools in Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.
Materials and Methods: Anthropometric examinations (weight, height and calculations of body mass index (BMI) and percentiles) were conducted on 600 children aged 7 years to 12 years and 11 months at five private schools in Aracaju. All of them were asked about their physical exercise practices. To determine overweight and obesity, respectively, the 85th and 97th percentiles of the World Health Organization’s BMI curve were used.
Results: Among the children studied, 21.5% (129) presented obesity (95% CI:18.3%-24.8%) and 22.3% (134) presented overweight (95% CI:18.8-25.3). There was greater prevalence of obesity among male children (p=0.05). Only 10% of the children did not practice physical activities.
Conclusions: High prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity was found in our study, which signals that there is a need to concentrate on preventive, screening and care actions in this population.