Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents Attended at Primary Health Care Units in Ilhéus, Bahia

Obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat, causing harm to health and involving biological, environmental, behavioral and genetic factors, with 1.9 billion people suffering from obesity worldwide, 25% of Brazilian adults and 23.8% of residents of Bahia. In children and adolescents, the prevalence of obesity has increased significantly, reaching around 10-15% of the pediatric population in Brazil and worldwide, resulting in increased risks of chronic metabolic diseases and neuropsychological disorders, even at an early age. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among pediatric users of Primary Health Care Units in a municipality in southern Bahia. Anthropometric measurements were analyzed in a cross-sectional study of 775 children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years, in addition to the evaluation of variables such as type of delivery, breastfeeding, age at menarche, screen time and physical activity, in addition to family history, collected by questionnaire. 59% of the participants were girls and 41% were boys, with a mean age of 10.1 years. The prevalence of excess weight was 27.8%, with 16.2% overweight and 11.6% obese, according to the WHO BMI Z-score. The highest prevalence of overweight was observed among 9-year-old children, and of obesity among 10-year-old children, with no significant difference between the sexes. The result reflects global trend and reinforces the necessity for public policies to control and prevent this condition and its comorbidities.