Estado nutricional e hábitos alimentares de escolares de Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brasil

Abstract

The nutritional status and its association with the eating habits of schoolchildren enrolled in public schools of Campina Grande in the State of Paraíba was evaluated. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1081 children aged between 5 and10. Height/age (H/A) and body mass index/age (BMI/A) anthropometric indexes, as well as the eating habits of schoolchildren were analyzed. A prevalence of stunting, overweight and obesity of 2.4%, 12.3% and 9.2%, respectively, was found. The H/A z-score revealed lower averages (p = 0.029) in children who reported almost never eating breakfast (-0.130 ± 1.053 z-score) compared to children who eat this meal every day or almost every day (0.183 ± 0.912 z-score); a similar association was observed when school meals were not eaten (p = 0.001). For the BMI/A, it was observed that children who have all meals had a lower average z-score (p = 0.034); similar results were observed in relation to the habit of eating breakfast, where a lower average value was found among children who reported this habit (p = 0.029). The nutritional status of schoolchildren is marked by high rates of overweight/obesity. This would suggest that losses in the nutritional status are related to failure to have breakfast and eat school meals.