Prevalência de excesso de peso entre estudantes de ensino fundamental de

Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a sample of students and investigate the correlation between BMI (body mass index) and family income. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted with 213 primary school students of public (PUS) and private (PRS) schools, aged between 10 and 14 years. This study was approved by the local Ethics Committee, and students and parents who were willing to participate could only do it by signing a consent form. Students were weighed and measured, and the BMI was calculated, the resulting data were evaluated according to the WHO BMI charts related to sex. The students answered a questionnaire on socioeconomic status according to the ‘ABEP’ charts. Data analysis was performed using SPSS, with 5% significance level. Results: The total prevalence of overweight in the sample studied was of 41.3%. Comparing the individual results, the frequency of overweight was higher for private school (47.3%) than for public school (32.1%) children, with statistical significance (p=0.03). The frequency of overweight among PRS boys was higher than among the PUS boys (23.3% versus 14.3%, p=0.05). In girls, the same trend was observed, but with no statistical significance (24.0% versus 17.9%, p=0.18). There was a positive correlation between BMI and family income (r=0.14, p=0.04). Conclusion: About 40% of the students who participated in the study were overweight, with higher prevalence among private school boys. It is important to establish strategies to prevent obesity at all levels of society, considering the potential health risks for those overweight children when they reach adulthood.