Marcadores de consumo alimentar e estado nutricional de escolares no Nordeste do Brasil

Introduction: The increasing increase in the number of cases of overweight and obesity in Brazilian children is considered one of the major public health problems. Obesity is classified as a multifactor noncommunicable chronic disease, and can be acquired for economic, social, and cultural reasons, not just for individual choices. Objective:To evaluate food consumption markers and the nutritional status of schoolchildren in the city of Paulista, Northeast Brazil. Methodology: This is a descriptive study, with a cross-sectional approach carried out with 1,000 schoolchildren between 5 and 10 years of age in the city of Paulista, Northeastern Brazil. Results: The research was carried out by consulting secondary data available in the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System, collected by the Healthy Growing Program team, which consists of the evaluation of food and anthropometric consumption that includes weight and height, for later calculation of the index of body mass and use of the World Health Organization’s child growth curves. Conclusion: The consumption of ultraprocessed foods in schoolchildren from the city of Paulista was high and the excess weight was higher than the low weight, suggesting the implementation of nutritional education activities in schools, encouraging children and parents to adopt a healthier lifestyle.