Trends in adiposity in Brazilian 7–10-year-old schoolchildren: evidence for increasing overweight but not obesity between 2002 and 2007

Abstract

Background: The negative health consequences of childhood overweight/obesity (OW/OB) are well known. Therefore, an accurate monitoring of the OW/OB prevalence is essential. Anthropometry is the most practical and cost-effective method for nutritional status evaluation.

Aim: To describe trends in the nutritional status among 7–10-year-old children by investigating changes in the prevalence of stunting, thinness, overweight, obesity, risk and excess abdominal adiposity, and to study changes in height-for-age, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC).

Subjects and methods: A school-based sample of 7–10-year-old children participated in two cross-sectional studies in 2002 (n = 2936) and 2007 (n = 1232) in Florianopolis, southern Brazil. Prevalence of stunting, risk and excess abdominal adiposity and changes in the distribution of height-for-age, BMI-for-age, WC-for-age z-scores were evaluated. Three BMI-based references were used to define the prevalence of thinness, overweight and obesity.

Results: Between 2002–2007, the prevalence of stunting, thinness, obesity and excess abdominal adiposity remained stable, whereas overweight (including obesity) increased 10–23% in boys and 18–21% in girls, depending on the BMI reference used. The risk of abdominal adiposity increased in boys, but not in girls. No significant change was observed in mean height, BMI, WC-for-age z-scores.

Conclusions: This study identified a potential levelling off in the prevalence of obesity and excess abdominal adiposity, but a continuing increase in the prevalence of overweight.

• Abdominal adiposity
• body mass index
• children
• obesity
• overweight
• trends
• waist circumference

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the school administration, to the teachers, to the schoolchildren and to their parents who participated in the study.