ESPE Abstracts (2015) 84 P-3-896

aUniversidade de Blumenau, Blumenau SC, Brazil; bSecretary for Health, Blumenau-SC, Brazil


Background: In the past decades Brazil has experienced a nutritional transition process characterised by a significant reduction in malnutrition and progressive increase in overweight and obesity. Nutritional education and precocious interventions are useful strategies to combat excess weight in childhood and adolescence. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were more than 40 million children overweight in the world in 2011. In Brazil, the prevalence of excess weight in the population aged 10–19 years was 21.7% in boys and 19.4% in girls in 2008–2009.

Objective and hypotheses: To estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents at primary care units (ESFs) in order to identify those eligible for weight control programs.

Method: Quantitative cross-sectional study in adolescents (10–19 year) who lived in the geographical area of four ESFs in the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) in Blumenau-SC. All adolescents were called to assess weight, height and BMI. It was excluded those who did not attend the call and those who were pregnant. Overweight and obesity was defined by WHO criteria (BMI for age and gender). Epiinfo2000 and Epidata were used in statistical analysis. The Human Ethnic Comity of the Blumenau University approved the study.

Results: There were 1351 adolescents in the geographical area covered by the study. A total of 840 adolescents were evaluated. Excess weight was observed in 26.8% (n=225). Overweight in 14.8% (n=124) and obesity in 12.0% (n=101). There was difference in excess weight between two ESFs (24.8% vs 35.9%; qui-squared 4.1, P=0.04). Almost 100% of them were not involved in health care programs to weight control. There were no differences between age groups 10–14 and 15–19 years (27.1% vs 26.3% respectively).

Conclusion: The prevalence of excess weight in adolescents in a South Brazil city was 26.8%. The majority of them were not involved in programs to weight control. Differences in geographical distribution of excess weight were observed.

Funding: This work was supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Heath - PROPET-SAÚDE - Edital n° 24 da SGTES/MS 12/15/2011.

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