Levantamento do índice de massa corpórea em uma escola pública: uma ação interdisciplinar

Abstract

Childhood obesity has been a major concern of the authorities in the area of public health worldwide. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is recognized by the World Health Organization as the main reference for the classification of the weights range. Although it should not be the only parameter to define the risks related to obesity, since there are several other factors such as waist circumference and cholesterol levels, it is very important for a first alert of important care. The present study investigated the BMI of a group of 116 students aged 10-12 years enrolled in a public school in a poor community in the state of São Paulo. With the guidance of members of the support center for family health care in the municipality, anthropometric datas of height and weight and date of birth were collected, and applied a questionnaire on eating habits answered by 94 of them. The results showed that only 45.69% of the children had adequate body condition and the total of children classed as overweight and obese amounted to 53.45%, and what most impressed was the fact that the number of obese children have surpassed the number of overweight children. Most children who responded to the questionnaire demonstrated to have access to meals, but also have food addictions as the consumption of candies and soft drinks. The finding of the high number of obese children warning that preventive public health actions should be planned and implemented in the future.