Associação entre sedentarismo e excesso de peso em escolares da periferia de São Paulo

Childhood obesity is considered a chronic disease and has been increasing significantly, with physical inactivity being one of its causes. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between variables related to physical activity and nutritional status among schoolchildren. A prospective, cross-sectional study was carried out with schoolchildren of a public and private school, aged between seven and 10 years, from the periphery of the city of Sao Paulo, in 2017. Socio-demographic data were evaluated; anthropometric weight, height and waist circumference; and physical activity. Among the 77 schoolchildren evaluated, more than half were female, studied in public schools and the median (interquartile range) of age was 8.68 years (6.94-9.9). Of these children, 45.45% were diagnosed as being overweight or obese, being more prevalent in those who studied in private schools, and 26.0% had excess abdominal fat, according to the waist-to-height ratio indicator. In addition, 44% of the children reported that they practiced some kind of physical activity outside of school, more than half walked on foot to school and the average time spent watching television or cell phones and games was three hours a day. Schoolchildren presented a high frequency of overweight, being more prevalent among the children of the private school, without association with physical activity or sedentary practices.