INTERVENÇÃO EDUCATIVA PARA A PROMOÇÃO DE ATIVIDADE FÍSICA: PREVENÇÃO E CONTROLE DA OBESIDADE INFANTIL

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic metabolic and complex disease, considered to be multifactorial. Overweight children are more vulnerable to developing chronic non-communicable diseases in adulthood. Therefore, school-based health promotion interventions involving various components, such as the promotion of physical activity, are fundamental for this public. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of a theoretical and practical educational intervention on the nutritional status, cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity habits of children. Methods: This was a transverse study involving 709 children aged between 8 and 10, enrolled in 7 municipal public schools in Guarapuava, PR. The participants were organized into two groups: control (CG) and intervention (IG). The research followed three stages: Stage 1 (day 0), both groups were characterized in terms of nutritional status, cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity habits; Stage 2 (day 1 to 90), with only GI participating. This stage consisted of theoretical and practical educational activities; Stage 3 (day 91), both groups were reassessed with regard to nutritional status, cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity habits. The data was evaluated at a 5% significance level. Most of the children were normal weight, but a high number of participants were classified as overweight (overall assessment, 37.1%, Stage 1 and 36.4%, Stage 3; CG, 36.0%, Stage 1 and 34.7%, Stage 3; IG, 37.4%, Stage 1 and 37.6%, Stage 3). The children showed no significant difference in BMI classification between the groups. There was also no change in the children's nutritional status after the educational intervention, overall or by gender. With regard to cardiorespiratory fitness, the intervention increased the distance covered by GI. The CG reduced this measure (p<0.05), when the children were assessed overall and in relation to gender (male). In the case of girls, there was no change (p>0.05) for CG. However, the actions significantly increased the measurements for GI. When nutritional status was taken into account, the eutrophic children in CG and IG had a higher score in the cardiorespiratory fitness test in Stage 1. However, there was a reduction in this parameter in Stage 3 for CG, while for IG, the intervention increased the fitness measures for eutrophic and overweight children. There was no effect of the intervention on physical activity habits. It can be concluded that the educational intervention does not affect the nutritional status and physical activity habits of the children. However, it increases cardiorespiratory fitness for boys and girls, and for eutrophic and overweight children, contrary to what is observed for those who do not take part in interventions.