Impact of sociodemographic and behavior factors in the prevalence of overweight and obesity of schoolchildren

Abstract

The study analyzed the impact of sociodemographics and behavior factors in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a schoolchildren representative sample from Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The sample was composed by 2849 subjects (1457 girls and 1392 boys), with ages ranged 6 and 18 years. Overweight and obesity were defined by the body mass index, following cutoff points for gender and age suggested by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). The impact in the different classes associated to sociodemographics and behavior factors were compared through logistic regression, with adjusted odds ratios. Among the girls, prevalence of overweight and obesity were 19,7% and 4,8%, respectively, whereas among boys it was 14,7% and 2,8%. The results show that, although the prevalence of overweight and obesity are similar with estimates observed in other Brazilian regions and are smaller than that found in more industrialized areas, the schoolchildren proportion that presented overweight and obesity is particularly preoccupant. The mains sociodemographics and behaviors factors identified in association with the occurrence of overweight were economic status, parents' education degree, number of brothers, distance and mean of transportation between the house and the school, school menu, work for pay, and leisure-time activity. The data show that exist an urgent need of implementing education intervention programs addressed to the improvement of physical activity and appropriated dietary habits.