OBESIDADE INFANTIL NO BRASIL: Revisão Bibliográfica

Abstract

Childhood obesity is classified as the fastest growing nutritional disease worldwide and presents difficult intervention. Thus, in view of the epidemiological importance and its consequences on the health of individuals, this study aimed to describe, through a bibliographic review, the situation of obesity in children and adolescents in Brazil, described in several studies, as well as to highlight their causal factors and their complications. The methods used consisted of a literature review, based on scientific articles from electronic journals, through search sites such as Scielo, Bireme, Pubmed, and Periódicos Capes, gathering materials published between the years 2005 to 2020. Research published during this period indicated the high rate of overweight and childhood obesity in several regions of Brazil. It was found that the vast majority of works were quantitative surveys carried out on schoolchildren, mainly in the southeastern region, with overweight prevalence ranging from 13.3% to 35.5% and obesity from 1.9% to 21%. Thus, representing a serious public health problem, it is important to pay attention to the life habits of this population since it is associated with the possibility of maintaining it throughout life, resulting in cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrinological and psychological problems, among others. . In this way, several authors emphasize the importance for understanding childhood obesity in order to perform more effective interventions, considering, above all, the family relationships and the socioeconomic conditions of the individuals.