Prevalência de sobrepeso, obesidade e alterações de pressão arterial em crianças do ensino fundamental de uma escola privada em Belém-PA

Objective: To verify the prevalence of overweight, obesity, high blood pressure and physical inactivity in children from 1st to 5th grade of elementary school in a private school. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study. The study included 139 students, aged between 6 and 11 years, of both sexes, who were properly enrolled in a private school in the city of Belem (PA) through a convenience sample. Results: Overweight was identified in 40 (28.8%) children, physical inactivity was identified in 39 (28.1%) children, high blood pressure was identified in 10 (7.2%) students. Among the 39 sedentary students we found 6 (60%) hypertensive, and of the 129 non-hypertensive 33 (26%) are sedentary. Of the 39 sedentary students 12 (46.2%) are overweight and 9 (64.3%) are obese. Conclusion: Physical inactivity may be correlated with overweight as well as high blood pressure, showing that children in these age groups, when less physically active, may have higher blood pressure and higher body mass index.