Prevalence and factors associated with central obesity in schoolchildren in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: The aims of this article are to estimate the prevalence and to identify the sociodemographic factors and food consumption associated with central obesity in schoolchildren 6-10 years old of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Methods: It consists in a cross-sectional population-based study involving 4,963 schoolchildren enrolled in the public and private sectors. The dependent variable is central obesity investigated by measuring waist circumference and classified according to percentiles/gender/age. Bivariate and multivariate analyzes were also performed. Results: The prevalence of central obesity was 4,9% (CI95%=4,3;5,5), being more prevalent in boys with statistical significance (p=0,003). The other variables investigated (age the schoolchildren, type of school, maternal education, protective and risk food consumption, number of daily meals) were not associated with outcome. Among the schoolchildren who had central obesity (n=243), 99.3% of the boys and 99.0% of the girls also showed overweight/obesity. Conclusion: The prevalence of central obesity was lower than that reported in national and international studies. In this scenario, the gender (male) variable was strongly associated with the outcome. The identified prevalence is a major concern in nutrition and medical science as the central obesity may remain in adulthood and show strong association with cardiovascular risk. It is noteworthy that there is a need for obesity prevention campaigns that encourage children and their parents to adopt a healthier life style. Finally, other studies should be conducted in order to examine potential factors linked to central obesity.