Introduction:

overweight and obesity are a public health problem, with an increasing prevalence in Uruguayan children. Early diagnosis and identification of risk factors are essential for treatment and prevention.

Objective:

to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-aged children and to identify risk factors.

Methodology:

cross-sectional study, carried out between July, 2015 and July, 2016 on 4th and 5th grade children of public and private schools of Rivera and Montevideo. Patronymic variables, birth weight, first year of life feeding data and anthropometric data were collected. Frequency of consumption of some foods and level of physical activity was studied. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was described. Risk factors, food consumption and physical activity among overweight and obese children were compared.

Results:

a total of 318 children were included; 28.3% were overweight, 14.5% were obese. Children with and without overweight/obesity did not show significant differences regarding sex, belonging to public institutions, having low birth weight, or considering the food they consumed in the first year of life. A higher proportion of overweight/obese children received cookies, biscuits, snacks, and sweets, and remained more than 6 hours sitting; a lower proportion had more than 60 minutes/day of outdoor games (p <0.05).

Conclusions:

the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the evaluated group was high. The consumption of hyper caloric foods and the lower physical activity were significantly associated to its development. The school stage is a crucial moment in the modification of habits that allow the prevention of the disorder.

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