Avaliação do estado nutricional de adolescentes: uma análise de tendência (2014 a 2016)

Abstract

Adolescence is a phase of life marked by biopsychosocial, hormonal changes, accelerated growth and development, where nutritional status indicates healthy living conditions. Analyzing the nutritional status and all its variables is of paramount importance, since they are factors that, if inadequate, can generate nutritional imbalances that are detrimental to the proper functioning of the body. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the trend of the nutritional status of adolescents in the city of João Pessoa-PB, from 2014 to 2016, and to verify the differences between the sexes. A descriptive, school - based study was conducted with adolescents from the city of João Pessoa who are part of the Longitudinal Study on Sedentary Behavior, Physical Activity, Eating Habits and Adolescent Health - LONCAAFS. Sociodemographic data and anthropometric measures (weight and height) were evaluated. The classification of nutritional status (low weight, normal weight, overweight, obesity) was made according to WHO criteria (2006). For the statistical analysis, Pearson's Chi-square test was used, with significance of p <0.05. In the first year of the study, 1460 adolescents were evaluated, of which 774 were female (53% of the total sample), 686 were male (47%). In 2015, there was a loss of 279 individuals, totaling 1195 adolescents evaluated, 643 female (53.8%) and 552 male (46.2%). In 2016, the total number of adolescents evaluated was 968, of which 455 were girls (47%), 513 were boys (53%). There was no statistically significant difference between the nutritional status and the sex of the adolescents evaluated in the three consecutive years. The prevalence of underweight among adolescents was considered low, with a total average of 3.2% for the three years (2014 to 2016), 1.46% for males and 1.74% for females. The overweight average in the three years was 19.6%, and obesity presented a prevalence of 11.56%, that is, overweight (overweight + obesity) observed in 30.86% of adolescents, a troubling percentage, which is in accordance with the current situation of nutritional transition that Brazil is going through. This fact is extremely relevant to the public health of our country. Obese adolescents may be becoming obese adults and, along with obesity, a number of problems may manifest themselves. There is a need for preventive and interceptive measures in the studied population in order to improve the nutritional status of adolescents in public schools in the city of João Pessoa.