BODY COMPOSITION AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: CONSIDERATIONS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY.

Abstract

The current society witness and carries out the expansion of overweight cases and obesity. Social, economic and political changes together with technological advances have brought a lifestyle based on inadequate alimentary habits and lack of physical activity. Obesity is related with the development of several diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cardiopathies even among children as a result from the lifestyle taken by their parents. This fact inspires much concern because obese children will probably become unhealthy obese adults. This research aims to verify the body composition profile through anthropometric testing of elementary school students from Colégio Brigadeiro Newton Braga (n=137), located in Rio de Janeiro, and for this, it will make use of the descriptive method. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated and the body fat composition (%G) was determined as described by Guedes (1994). The subjects of this research present the following characteristics: age 9,53 ± 1,14 years old, weight 37,4 ± 11,15 kg, stature 1,38 ± 0,09 m and BMI 9,24± 3,98Kg/m2. Their classification according to the reference table presented by Cole et al. shoed that 39% of all showed some degree of overweight or obesity. The evolution of %G according to school grade and gender is shown on graphics 1 and 2 respectively. Graphic 1 shows a great increase of %G in the period between the second and third grades, indicating that the major gain of fat mass occurs in early ages. The panorama observed in this small sample reflects a world-wide trend: the increasing incidence of overweight and obesity cases among children and adolescents. More detailed research on the level of practiced physical activity, alimentary habits and social and economic level of these individuals will contribute on better understanding of the problem and will allow delineation of adequate interventions to fight this reality.