The CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION: AN ANALYSIS OF PRIMARY CARE DATA REGISTERED IN SISVAN

Abstract

Obesity in children is a health condition that has serious repercussions, including reduced height, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular and respiratory problems, among others. Considering the relevance of nutritional monitoring during childhood to monitor and identify early factors that influence the nutritional status of children, this study aims to describe the nutritional status of children monitored by primary care in order to identify the prevalence of childhood obesity in the southeastern region of Brazil , in the year 2022. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, ecological and quantitative study of data obtained through public reports from the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN), considering the variables: "child" stage of life, age “0 to < 5 years”, “southeast” region. For this study, assessment was considered using the Body Mass Index for Age (BMI/I). 1,963,863 children under five years of age were evaluated followed by SISVAN in 2022. Of these, 597,531 children were overweight. It was noted that São Paulo has the highest percentage of overweight risk (19.1%), Rio de Janeiro has the highest rate of overweight and obesity, 7.7% and 6.6%, respectively. The main reason behind cases of excess weight among children lies in the imbalance between calorie intake and expenditure, often caused by inadequate eating patterns, including the consumption of high-calorie and high-fat foods, associated with a lack of physical activity or sedentary lifestyle. This situation demands the implementation of effective nutritional education programs, encouragement of physical activity and awareness campaigns at a national level.