Ambiente escolar e obesidade em adolescentes brasileiros

Abstract

The interaction of ambient and obesity is classified as an obesogenic environment when it encompasses everything that enhances and engage with obesity. In Latin America it is estimated that overweight prevalence for teenagers aged from 12 to 19years is 16.7% in Colômbia, 20% in Brasil and 35% in Mexico. The objective of this study is to analyze the association between school environment and overweight, evaluated by the school lunch offer and by the existence of a sports court. This is an cross-sectional epidemiologic study carried out based on ERICA's (Estudos de Risco Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes) database, this research sample covered 75 thousands teenagers from 12 to 17 years old, from public or private schools. The teenager's evaluation was carried out using self-completed questionnaires that were dropped in electronic collectors. The usage of school canteen and sports court were analyzed in their correlation to weight gain, the STATA program was used to perform statistical analysis. The variables that presented 'association (p value <0.20)' were selected to set the multiple Poisson Regression model, using the stepwise forward procedure, only variables that presented p < 0,05 values and those considered to be model's adjustment was kept. The results suggest 49,8% of the teenagers are male, 51% of them are 12 till 14 years. Most of the student studies in public school (82.6%). The prevalence of obese teenagers in private schools is nearly 40% greater compared to public schools. There is a higher prevalence of obesity among adolescents in public schools who buy snacks almost every day in the canteen PR = 1.61 (95% CI 1.09, 2.37) and also among adolescents whose school does not have a covered patio PR = 1.25 (95% CI 1.06, 1.48). In private schools that sell fried snacks adolescents are more obese PR = 1.38 (IC95% 1.05; 1.80 in relation to the adolescents of schools that do not sell. It was evidenced that the factors that affect obesity in Brazilian adolescents of public and private schools are different. However, promotion and prevention measures must still be priority to fight obesity, alongside the development of proper structure for recreational practices, specific laws to control what can be sold on school canteens and specific regulations to advertising materials to promote food that can be harmful to health.