Overweight or obesity and abdominal obesity and their association with cardiometabolic risk factors in Brazilian schoolchildren: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to access the association between overweight or obesity and abdominal obesity (AO) and cardiometabolic risk factors (CRF) of schoolchildren.

METHODS

We evaluated body weight (BW), height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fasting glycaemia (FG), blood pressure (BP), triacylglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in 501 students (6-10 y of age) from municipal schools in Macaé, Brazil. Statistical analyses were performed by χ, Fisher exact tests, and odds ratio (OR; 95% confidence interval [CI]).

RESULTS

Children with overweight or obesity had higher TG, TC, and BP values than normal weight children (P < 0.05). The same trend was observed in children with AO versus those without AO. Among the schoolchildren, 58.5% had at least one CRF. Overweight or obese children had increased risk for high BP (OR, 3.98; 95% CI, 2.4-6.57), high TGs (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.64-4.8), high TC (OR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.53-4), high LDL-C (OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.09-8.6) and two or more CRFs (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 2.89-7.3). Children with AO had increased risk for high BP (OR, 3.97; 95% CI, 2.18-7.22), high TGs (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.79-6.49), high TC (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.39-4.75), high LDL-C (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.24-11.07), and two or more CRFs (OR, 3.25; 95% CI, 1.82-5.78). Schoolchildren with CRFs presented higher means of BW, BMI, WC, FG, TGs, TC, LDL-C, SBP, DBP, and lower HDL-C than children without CRFs.

CONCLUSION

The relationship between increased body weight or AO and CRF, described in the present data, reinforces the importance of early prevention of excess weight in children.