Excessive body weight, body fat, and eating habits of students from public and private elementary education

Abstract

evaluate the prevalence of excessive body weight and eating habits among students of 3th and 4th periods of elementary school. Methods: 202 children (87 girls and 115 boys) in four schools (two publics, n=104 and two privates, n=98) from Barra do Garças (MT), Brazil were evaluated. A food frequency and physical activity questionnaire was applied. After measurement of height, weight and body mass index, the body fat (%) was estimated using a bioimpedance scale. The estimation of frequencies and the statistical analysis were performed by the epitools® program. Results: Prevalence of both overweight and obesity were higher in private schools compared to the public ones. The prevalence of overweight ranged from 18.92% to 32.43%, whereas the obesity prevalence varied from 18.2% to 36.4%. Body fat distribution was highest among girls than boys. The daily dietary intake of vegetables, legumes and fruits reached only 57.4%, 50% and 43.6%, respectively. 36.6% of the students did not drink or eat milk and its derivatives. The dietary intake of fatty foods and soft drinks 5 to 7 days per week were high, reaching 24.26% and 27.23%, respectively. The weekly consumption of sweeties and candies was excessive, reaching 39.11% for 5 to7 days. Conclusions: obesity was higher among students from private schools and dietary intake of vegetable foods was inadequate, whereas intake of fatty foods, sweeties and soft drinks was high. K E y w o r d s — obesity, soft drinks, sedentary lifestyle. i n t r o d u C t i o n Recent studies have been elucidated that childhood obesity is associated to increased risk of hypercholesterolemia, high blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents [1–3]. The regular use of electronic devices (tablets, smartphones, games), and the time spent watching TV, raised physical inactivity, consumption of soft and sugary drinks, sleeping problems, and the risk of obesity [4]. C. K. B. Ferrari Institute of Biological and Health Sciences (ICBS), “Campus Universitário do Araguaia”, “Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso” (UFMT), Pontal do Araguaia e Barra do Garças, MT, Brazil [email protected] * Awarded work on Congresso Multidisciplinar Integrado às Ciências da Saúde , Campinas (SP), 2017 Beyond the excessive time spent with sedentary activity, regular intake of energy and fat dense foods constitutes an important factor in determination of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents [5, 6]. It should be emphasized that those unhealthy lifestyles trend to perpetuate, remaining at the adult life and posing an increased risk of obesity and correlated diseases among the adults [6, 7]. Thus, the objective of the present study was evaluate the prevalence of excessive body weight and eating habits in students from 3° and 4° periods of the elementary school in two public and two private schools. m e t h o d o l o g y Population and methods During June to August 2018, 202 children (87 girls and 115 boys), of 3o and 4o periods of elementary school in two public and two private schools of Barra do Garças (MT) municipality were assessed. 98 students represented public schools, whereas the remaining 104 belong to private schools in Barra do Garças, MT, Legal Amazonian region. The heights of children were measured using a portable stadiometer (MD, Brazil). After measurement of height, body weight and total body fat were evaluated by a bioimpedance scale (Tanita, TBF-551, Japan). Values of weight and height were used to calculate body mass index (Kg/m2) of each student. In addition, a food frequency questionnaire was also applied [8]. Ethical and Statistical Aspects Before engaging the study, participants received full explanations regarding the research and signed the informed consent term. This study is a subsample of the registered study “Epidemiology and risk factors for non-communicable diseases: development and application of a health promotion scale (HPS)” which was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the “Campus Universitário do Araguaia da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT)” (protocol CAAE: 62989416.1.0000.55872017). The statistical analysis was performed using Epitools® software (Australia). In Article history: Received 19 February 2019 Received in revised form 1 March 2019 Accepted 3 March 2019 E c o l o g y , H y g i E n E , P u b l i c H E a l t H 6 | a r c h i v e u r o m e d i c a | 2 0 1 9 | v o l . 9 | n u m . 1 | order to correct, standardize and balance the samples by gender, the z-test, in two-tale mode, was applied to compare two proportions. Statistical significant differences were considered when p<0.05. r e s u l t s The prevalence of overweight and obesity were higher in private schools compared to the public ones. The highest prevalence of obesity was found in private school 1. The prevalence of obesity ranged from 18.92% to 32.43%, whereas the prevalence of obesity varied from 18.2% to 36.4% (fig. 1). The body fat distribution among girls and boys is represented in the fig. 2. The values of body fat distribution among boys were lower than the values found for girls. Thus, there was major prevalence of body fat values up to 25% among girls, which is considered unhealthy. Although the weekly dietary intake of legumes, vegetables, and fruits had been considerable, only 57.4%, 50%, and 43.6% of children got a daily ingestion of vegetables, legumes, and fruits, respectively. The weekly consumption of refined cereals was relatively lower, once 19.3% ingested two to four times/week and 12.4% done for five or more days. The dietary consumption of meat and its products and milk and dairy reached 82.7% and 63.4%, respectively. Furthermore, 36.6% of students did not drink milk or eat dairy foods according to nutritional recommendations. In respect of weekly dietary intake of vegetables, 42.6% of the students did not consume the adequate quantities. The weekly ingestion of fatty foods was also elevated, since the consumption by two to four days, and by five to seven days were 37.13% e 24.26%, respectively. The dietary intake of sweeties, candies and confectionary foods was also excessive, reaching 37.13% and 39.11% for two to four days or five to seven days, respectively. Another negative aspect was the consumption of soft drinks by the students, once the consumption of those drinks by two to four days and by five to seven days was 49.5% and 27.23%, respectively. The other aspects of food intake are presented in fig. 3. The leisure time physical activity practice by the students is presented in the fig. 4. The frequency of students that did no physical activities was greatest amongst public schools compared to private ones (p<0.05). Notwithstanding, the majority of students (65.91%), independent of school type, did not adequately practice physical activities to maintain health. d i s C u s s i o n In the present study, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was greater in private schools compared to the public ones. Furthermore, prevalence of overweight ranged from 18.92% to 32.43%, whereas the prevalence of obesity varied from 18.2% to 36.4%. Considering the ages of 8 and 9 years old, the prevalence of excessive body weight of the present study was higher even for boys than girls compared with the results found in Umuarama (PR), South Brazil, which ranged from 8.27% (overweight) to 12% (obesity) [9]. Overweight and obesity prevalence of the present study, with 8 and 9 years old students, was higher than that observed by Pinto et al. (2016) [10], with 505 students of 10 to 16 years in Ribeirão Preto (SP), Southeast Brazil. In the same manner, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher compared with the observed in Juiz de Fora (MG), Southeast Brazil, with a sample of 403 children, 10 to 14 years old, in which overweight and obesity were 19.9% and 10.2%, respectively [11]. In a research of São Caetano do Sul (SP), with 485 children of 9 to 11 years old, authors observed greater prevalence of overweight (45.4%) and obesity (33%) [12] than reported in the present study. Regarding the above mentioned studies, the prevalence of excessive body weight of the present study, realized in the inner Mato Grosso (CentralWestern Brazil), is so high than São Paulo State, the most developed of Brazil. The distribution of body fat values among boys was lower in relation to the girls. Thus, there was higher prevalence of girls with body fat values above 25%, which is considered undesirable to health. Increased body adiposity had been inversely related to cardiorespiratory fitness amongst girls in a study with 1,223 adolescents in the city of Cascavel (PR), South Brazil [13]. At least in part the excessive body weight and adiposity could be explained by unhealthy eating habits. Therefore, in the current work the adequate daily consumption of vegetables, legumes, and fruits was 57.4%, 50% and 43.6%, respectively. This consumption of vegetables and fruits of the current work was similar to that observed in 9 to 10 years old students in Coimbra (MG) Brazil [14]. However, the food consumption of the present study was higher than the observed in students of 14 to 19 years old in Sergipe (Northeast Brazil), whose unsuitability of fruits and vegetables intake reached 88.6% [15]. Daily food consumption of meat and its products and milk and dairy was 82.7% and 63.4%, respectively. The elevated meat consumption could also be obE c o l o g y , H y g i E n E , P u b l i c H E a l t H 7 | a r c h i v e u r o m e d i c a | 2 0 1 9 | v o l . 9 | n u m . 1 | Fig. 1. Prevalence of excessive body weight among children from public and private schools of Barra do Garças (MT), Brazil * a ≠b, com p<0.05 Fig. 2. Distribution of intervals of body fat, according to gender, among children from Barra do Garças (MT), Brazil