Natalia Romero Sandoval
Natalia Romero Sandoval, International University of Ecuador, Ecuador
Title: Quito municipal schools: Obesity and factors related with it
Biography
Biography: Natalia Romero Sandoval
Abstract
Childhood overweight and obesity are serious public health problems which affect populations’ at all socioeconomic levels. Schools are one of the places where attempts should be made to prevent and correct these problems, identifying the behavior of associated factors. We proposed to estimate the prevalence of overweight/obesity and quantify its behavior by means of a survey administered to school children and their parents, in a cohort of 6964 children aged 9 to 17 years, attending public municipal schools in a city of medium-low income in Ecuador. The prevalence of overweight was 18.7% (95% CI 17.8-19.6) and of obesity was 7.9% (95% CI 7.6-8.2), values being significantly higher among boys aged 9 to 12 years. Aspects associated with excess weight were going to school without having their breakfast, not following a diet, ignorance on the part of parents regarding risky eating behaviors of their children outside the home and being a member of a nuclear family, 91.9% of the children were sedentary and 78.2% of obese children did not see themselves as obese. The highest percentage of excess weight is attributed to the fat until the age of 11 years in girls and up to 14 years in men. Among those with excess weight, body fat has less influence than height among the boys, whereas among girls body fat and height contribute equally at all ages.