OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Brazilian schoolchildren aged 7 to 9 years and determine its association with gender, age and geographic region. METHODS: This cross-sectional epidemiological study enrolled 2,913 students (1,478 boys and 1,435 girls) aged 7 to 9 years and was conducted between 2004 and 2005. The body mass index cutoff values proposed by the International Obesity Task Force were used as a diagnostic criterion for overweight and obesity. The chi-square test was used for comparison of proportions, and differences in prevalence rates were determined by testing for comparison between two proportions. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 15.4% and 7.8% in boys and girls, respectively, with similar proportions in both genders and across all ages. In boys, overweight and obesity were only associated with geographic region (p<0.001), with a higher prevalence found in children from the South region. In girls, the prevalence of overweight was highest among those aged 7 years and those from the North region. In addition, an overall higher prevalence of obesity was observed among children from the South region. CONCLUSIONS: Schoolchildren from the South region of Brazil have a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than those from other areas of the country. We conclude that overweight and obesity in childhood are on an upward trend, and our findings corroborate the results reported in other Brazilian studies.
children; schoolchildren; obesity; epidemiology; overweight
