Fatores ambientais em escolares de 6 a 15 anos com sobrepeso e obesidade

Abstract

Obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat, and its increase has been increasing in recent years, especially in children and adolescents, with multifactorial causes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the body composition of children/adolescents and associate them with family factors, physical activity level and screen time. Data were collected through a questionnaire developed by the author in order to obtain information on body mass index, cases of obesity in the family, breastfeeding, screen time and active behavior outside of school. 55.88% of male children are overweight, while in females the figure was 43.9%. 26.3% and 27.8% of boys and girls have an obese father, and 31.6% and 38.9% have an obese mother. Most girls (60%) were breastfed for three to six months, and most boys (30%) did not receive this essential food early in life. Most of those evaluated spend between three and six hours in front of screens (52.6% boys vs 44.4% girls), and a large part spends more than six hours (31.6% boys vs 44.5% girls) . Most of them have active behavior for a maximum of three days a week (47.4% boys vs 55.5% girls). The practice of physical activity needs to be encouraged, and the physical education teacher can be one of the health promoters within the school, clarifying the benefits of healthy eating associated with active behavior.