Abstract

Obesity and arterial hypertension in schoolchildren from Santa Cruz do Sul - RS, Brazil Objective: To verify the prevalence of obesity and hypertension in schoolchildren from Santa Cruz do Sul - RS, Brazil, in 2005 and 2008. Method: The study was performed with two consecutive cross-sectional measurements, consisting of a stratified cluster sample, totaling 414 students, aged between 7 and 17 years, of which 215 (51.9%) were males and 199 (48.1%) were females. Obesity was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and percentage of body fat (%BF). Hypertension was measured by blood pressure values, both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP). Results: BMI assessment showed 18.6% and 22.3% of excess weight in males and 22.6% and 14.6% in females (in 2005 and 2008, respectively). Regarding obesity, the prevalence was 4.7% in both years for males and a reduction from 12.6% to 9.0% was observed in females. When analyzing the difference between assessments, there was significance in the BMI classification (p = 0.022) and %BF (p = 0.017) only in females. Statistically significant changes in SBP were found only in males (p 0.001). Conclusion: The levels of excess weight, obesity, and %BF in females, as well as the increased levels of systolic blood pressure in males, demonstrate the need for early intervention through more effective public health campaigns.