TRENDS IN THE PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AMONG BRAZILIAN SCHOOLCHILDREN, 2002, 2007, AND 2012/13

Background and objectives: 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. The purpose this study was to describe trends in the nutritional status among 7-10-year-old children by investigating changes in the prevalence of overweight (including obese) and obesity. Methods: A school-based sample of 7-10-year-old children participated in three cross-sectional studies in 2002 (n=2,936), 2007 (n=1,232) and 2012/13 (n=1,531) in Florianopolis, southern Brazil. The WHO Child Growth Standards were used to define the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Results: In 2012/13, 40.2% of the boys and 33.9% of the girls were overweight (including obese), which is a substantial increase since 2002 (boys 32.9%, girls 27.6%) and 2007 (boys 36.2%, girls 32.5%). Similarly, 15.9% of the boys and 11.2% of the girls were obese, which is higher than in 2002 (boys 11.9%, girls 8.3%) and which is much higher than in 2007, mainly among girls (boys 13.9%, girls 6.9%). Conclusions: Over the period 2002 to 2007, there were a potential leveling off in the prevalence of obesity, and an increase in the prevalence of overweight. Over the period 2007 to 2012/13, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was still rising, and at an even faster rate than the preceding period. Evidence-based interventions are needed to counter the obesity epidemic, and there is an urgent need for school intervention programs.