Éboni Marília Reuter

Prevalence of obesity and cardiovascular risk among children and adolescents in the municipality of Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Studies have demonstrated that metabolic complications from child obesity, although silent, increase the risk of development of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. The present paper sought to describe the prevalence of overweight/obesity and analyze the possible relationship between obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescents. DESIGN AND SETTING Cross-sectional study, conducted in a university. METHODS The study included 564 children and adolescents, aged 8 to 17 years. Body mass index and waist circumference were used to evaluate obesity. Other cardiovascular risk factors were evaluated, like systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glycemia, triglycerides and total cholesterol. Descriptive analysis was used for sample characterization, the chi-square test for categorical variables and Pearsons linear correlation for evaluating the relationship between obesity indicators and other cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS High prevalence of overweight/obesity was found among the schoolchildren (25.3% among the boys and 25.6% among the girls), along with abdominal obesity (19.0%). The overweight/obese schoolchildren presented higher percentages for the pressure and biochemical indicators, compared with underweight and normal-weight schoolchildren. Body mass index and waist circumference showed a weak correlation with the variables of age and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), but there was no correlation between these obesity indices and biochemical variables. CONCLUSION The high prevalence of overweight/obesity and its relationship with other cardiovascular risk factors demonstrate that it is necessary to develop intervention and prevention strategies from childhood onwards, in order to avoid development of chronic-degenerative diseases in adulthood.

Cardiovascular risk in rural workers and its relation with body mass index

Objective Evaluate the propensity of cardiovascular risk in rural workers and, through the Framingham Risk Score (FRS), relate this risk with the classification of Body Mass Index (BMI). Subjects and methods This study is characterized as descriptive and exploratory, with the participation of 138 subjects, ranging between 25-73 years old. Clinical and laboratory analysis of the risk factors contained in the FRS were performed, in addition to the determination of BMI, blood pressure, smoking and physical inactivity. Results The procedures indicated a low risk of a coronary event in 10 years with 70.3% of the population. In contrast, 88.4% of the subjects were overweight. It was evidenced a risk improvement as the BMI increased, since 96.4% of high-risk cases were overweight or obese. Conclusion Results suggest larger prevalence of intermediary or high FRS for women with higher BMI, which was not observed in men.

Análise comparativa da força muscular respiratória, força de preensão palmar e capacidade funcional entre puérperas de parto cesárea e em nuligestas

Objetivo: Comparar a forca de preensao palmar (FPP), forca muscular respiratoria (FMR) e capacidade funcional (CF) entre puerperas de parto cesarea e nuligestas. Metodo: Estudo transversal quantitativo que avaliou mulheres com idade entre 16 e 35 anos admitidas na maternidade do Hospital Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz do Sul - RS para parto cesarea (Grupo Puerpera – GP) e nuligestas higidas (Grupo Controle – GC). Apos avaliacao das caracteristicas antropometricas foram aferidas a FPP por meio de dinamometria hidraulica manual e a FMR (Pressao Inspiratoria Maxima - PImax e Pressao Expiratoria Maxima - PEmax) por meio de manovacuometria digital. A CF foi avaliada atraves da escala Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL). Resultados: Avaliadas 30 mulheres (GC: n = 15 e GP: n = 15) com media de idade de 23,80 ± 4,61 anos e indice de massa corporea (IMC) de 23,94 ± 4,91 kg/m2. Houve reducao da PImax (p<0,001; p<0,002) e da PEmax (p<0.001; p<0,001) no GP em relacao ao GC quando comparadas as medias dos valores absolutos e preditos, respectivamente. Evidenciada diferenca significativa da CF entre GP e CG (p=0,010), nao tendo sido observada diferenca da FPP entre os grupos analisados. Conclusao: Puerperas de parto cesarea apresentam reducao da forca muscular respiratoria em relacao as nuligestas.

Artigo originalObesidade e hipertensão arterial em escolares de Santa Cruz do Sul – RS, BrasilObesity and arterial hypertension in schoolchildren from Santa Cruz do Sul – RS, Brazil

OBJECTIVE To verify the prevalence of obesity and hypertension in schoolchildren from Santa Cruz do Sul - RS, Brazil, in 2005 and 2008. METHOD The study was performed with two consecutive cross-sectional measurements, consisting of a stratified cluster sample, totaling 414 students, aged between 7 and 17 years, of which 215 (51.9%) were males and 199 (48.1%) were females. Obesity was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and percentage of body fat (%BF). Hypertension was measured by blood pressure values, both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP). RESULTS BMI assessment showed 18.6% and 22.3% of excess weight in males and 22.6% and 14.6% in females (in 2005 and 2008, respectively). Regarding obesity, the prevalence was 4.7% in both years for males and a reduction from 12.6% to 9.0% was observed in females. When analyzing the difference between assessments, there was significance in the BMI classification (p = 0.022) and %BF (p = 0.017) only in females. Statistically significant changes in SBP were found only in males (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The levels of excess weight, obesity, and %BF in females, as well as the increased levels of systolic blood pressure in males, demonstrate the need for early intervention through more effective public health campaigns.