Alterações no estado nutricional antropométrico, atividade física e consumo alimentar em escolares de Santa Cruz/RN: um estudo de base populacional

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Infantile-juvenile obesity has been growing and worrying in developing countries, as in Brazil, and is a disease considered a public health problem. Evidence indicates that the sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity and unbalanced diet are determinant determinants for the nutritional transition in the pediatric range. Thus, this age group is a vulnerable group and the impact of poor eating habits and physical activity on nutritional status, the objective of this study was to analyze the anthropometric nutritional status, physical activity and food consumption of schoolchildren of the fundamental level in the years 2015 and 2017. METHODS: Observational study of epidemiological character, with students enrolled in the municipal teaching network of the city of Santa Cruz / RN. The initial sample involved all 1,200 students regularly enrolled in the first five years of all schools in the municipal school system. Anthropometric evaluation was performed from (BMI / age), physical activity and food consumption were evaluated through self-applied questionnaires referring to the previous day, and previously validated for this age group specifically. The practice of physical activity was quantified by metabolic task equivalents (METs) and categorized as sedentary, mild physical activity, moderate physical activity or vigorous physical activity. Food consumption was classified based on food processing by grouping them into three classes: in natura and minimally processed, processed or ultraprocessed. RESULTS: A total of 1571 students from the public schools of the city of Santa Cruz / RN, distributed in eight schools, were evaluated in 2015 and 2017. In all the different nutritional states, the students had a high prevalence of S / AFL. Overweight was diagnosed in 26.9% and 31.5% of schoolchildren in 2015 and 2017 respectively and the overweight schoolchildren presented the lowest prevalence of sedentarism and mild physical activity compared to eutrophic or low weight as well as higher consumption of processed foods at lunch and consumption of ultraprocessed foods at all meals of the day. CONCLUSION: Changes in nutritional status were observed, showing an increase in low weight and obesity, reduction of consumption of in natura and minimally processed foods, high consumption of processed foods at lunch and ultraprocessed foods, high frequency of sedentary lifestyle and low moderate and vigorous physical activity on the days evaluated.