Risk factors associated with diabesity in primary school students in the Amazon region of Brazil

• Main Authors: Maria Virgínia Filgueiras de Assis Mello, Rosemary Ferreira de Andrade, Liudmila Miyar Otero, Anneli Mercedes Celis de Cárdenas, Silvana Rodrigues da Silva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de Antioquia 2013-12-01
• Series: Investigación y Educación en Enfermería
• Subjects: Diabetes Mellitus; obesidad; alimentación; estudiantes
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-53072013000300011&lng=en&tlng=en

Objective. Identifying risk factors for diabesity (diabetes plus obesity) in primary students in the Brazilian Amazon. Methodology. Descriptive study carried out in 2009 with the participation of 1218 students. A questionnaire from the Ministry of Health of Brazil was employed with the question ''How is your diet?'' and a form was created to record the socio-demographic, clinical, anthropometric and food variables. Results. The mean age was 12 years and 57% were female. 64% of respondents reported no health problems, 37% had a family history of diabetes mellitus and 29% of students were overweight (17% overweight and 12% obese). A sedentary lifestyle was prevalent in the study group (70%). The dietary guidelines for consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and complex carbohydrates are not properly fulfilled. Fast foods or 'junk' food was consumed by 43.5% of students. Conclusion. Most of the identified risk factors were related to unhealthy lifestyles that can lead to diabesity and other chronic non-communicable diseases. Identifying these factors allows planning nursing interventions for students, teachers and families.