Impacto dos estratos econômicos na prevalência do sobrepeso e da obesidade em escolares de Maringá-PR-Brasil

Abstract

Obesity has become a growing public health problem, affecting indistinctly both adults and children from all classes in developed and underdeveloped countries. Obesity among children is a problem with devastating consequences that can last throughout adolescence and adult life time. Therefore, this paper aimed to analyze the impact of economic strata, gender and age on the prevailing of overweight and obesity in children between 6 and 10 years old, enrolled in public and private schools in Maringa-Pr. It characterizes an epidemiologic investigation, applied observance executed in a stratum sample of 4.753 children between the ages of 6,0 and 10,9 years old (21% of the defined population) in 24 schools (17 public schools and 07 private schools). All students from drawn schools, within the relevant age , between pre-school and 4th grade have been invited. The evaluation constituted on measurements of weight and height, considering gender and age, used as the nutritional classification stated by the International Obesity Task Force and a questionnaire for the economic status. The prevailing of different groups :(a) gender, (b) age and (c) economical status was analyzed by means of calculus of Odds Ratios (OR) adjustment. The results for the 2.532 girls (53, 3%) and 2.221 boys (46, 7%), considering the total sample, were: overweight/obesity (OO) prevalence in 24, 75%, and obesity in 7, 75% of the sample. The values showed that among females the chance of a child being overweight or obese is smaller when compared with the opposite sex OO - (OR: 0, 82 and 95%; IC: 0, 71-0, 94 and obesity (OR: 0, 78 and 95% IC: 0, 63-0, 97). Regarding age, the only difference was among the 7 year old group when compared with the 10 year old group. It also did not show differences among different ages for both genders but concerning the economical analyses, belonging to upper classes increases the chances of a child to be OO in 74% (OR: 1,74 and 95% IC: 1,30-2,34) compared with lower classes. In the same way, belonging to middle class can increase in 36% (OR: 1, 36 and 95% IC: 1, 06- 1, 75) the chance of a child to become OO. In the economical classification of the female group there were differences between upper and lower classes. The first one provided 54% of chances of a child in this class to be classified as OO, when compared to lower class. In reference to the boys, students from the 7 year old group presented a protection factor when compared to the ones from the 10 year old group (OR: 0, 68 and 95% IC: 0, 51-0, 92) and boys from class A (risk twice as large) and B (57% of chance) showed a greater chance of presenting OO and obesity than students from lower class. In he same way the students from middle class, showed 57% more chances of being overweight than the students from lower class. In conclusion, there were not statistical differences between gender nor age, and the prevailing of overweigh is more elevated in different economical strata. Therefore the expectation is that the results can contribute in the prevention of overweigh among the 7 year old group (in general and among boys) since the prevalence of OO was linked in greater proportion with boys from higher economic strata, in this study.