Nutritional status of schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years in the city of Cruzeiro do Oeste-PR - doi:10.5020/18061230.2011.p289

Abstract

Objective: To assess the nutritional status of schoolchildren. Methods: Data of the crosssectional study were obtained during the development of the “Project Educational Activities Related to School Process” in the city of Cruzeiro do Oeste-PR, Brazil. The study included children of both sexes enrolled in all six schools of the municipal network, in academic year 2010. We conducted anthropometric measurements of 1,074 schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years. The variables assessed were weight and height to calculate BMI (Body Mass Index) for classification according to criteria proposed by Cole et al. Results: According to the nutritional status, were found 5.1% (55) of children with low weight and a significant portion of overweight and obesity, 16.6% (178) and 9.8% (105), respectively, totaling 26, 4% (283) of schoolchildren with excess weight. There was no association between nutritional status of scholars and gender. BMI and age showed a direct relationship. Conclusion: The assessment of nutritional status in the schools surveyed points to, the nutritional transition, as a significant portion of the children was considered overweight and obese. It is noteworthy that the distribution between the different nutritional statuses did not differ between the sexes, but correlated with age; with increasing age, overweight also increases.