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Abstract
Background: Childhood overweight and obesity are increasing all over the world and have been associated with low levels of physical activity (PA).
Aims: To determine the prevalence of overweight, obesity and PA levels in Azorean children according to age and sex; and to determine the association between levels of PA and prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Subjects and methods: Weight, height and PA levels were measured in 3699 children aged 6–10 years, from the Azores Islands, Portugal. Overweight and obesity were classified according to the cut-offs of Citation.
Results: In girls, prevalences of overweight and obesity were 22.8% and 13.2%, and in boys 17.6% and 12.3%, respectively. No age trends were found in the prevalence of overweight or obesity; however, girls had a higher risk of being overweight (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.2–1.7) than boys. Levels of PA were higher in boys compared to girls (F(1) = 52.8, p < 0.001). A protective effect of PA practice (very active versus less active) was observed for obesity (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.5–0.9).
Conclusion: The results demonstrate the existence of high prevalence of overweight and obesity in children from the Azores Islands, which is associated with low levels of PA.
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Acknowledgements
The suggestions of the anonymous reviewers are highly appreciated.
Declaration of interest: This study was supported by the Regional Government of Azores through the Regional Directorate of Sports. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.