Prevalencia y factores asociados a sobrepeso y obesidad infantil en escuelas públicas y privadas de Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Abstract

Objective: To compare the factors associated with overweight and obesity in children from public and private schools in the Kennedy colony, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Materials and methods. We studied 357 schoolchildren between 6 and 11 years old. A survey was used to assess nutrition, food frequency, eating habits and practices, and physical activity. Students with overweight and obesity secondary to a basic pathology were excluded. The information was analyzed using Epi-info. We conducted a univariate and multivariate analyzes. Results: We found that 18% of the students were obese and 18% were overweight. Students from private schools were more frequently overweight and obese (46.3%) than those in public schools (33.2%). Fifty-three percent of public school students and 36.3% of private schools consumed homemade snacks. Over half (58.5%) of public school students and 68.7% of private schools reported doing some kind of outdoor physical activity. Conclusion: Childhood overweight and obesity are prevalent health problems. Private school students, in our sample, were more overweight and obese than public school students. Physical activity performed by school children in public and private schools was adequate in most cases.