Association Between Violence in Childhood and Increase in the Body Mass Index Among Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the association between violence in childhood and increase in the Body Mass Index among adolescents. Method: a cross-sectional study, conducted with 136 adolescents aged from 10 to 19 years old, monitored by a Multiprofessional Residency Program in Adolescents' Health, in health units from the municipality of Divinópolis-MG. The anthropometric assessment was conducted from March to June 2018; and information was collected referring to the socioeconomic level, demographic factors, food consumption, and physical activity of the participants. The variable related to violence in childhood was composed of five groups, obtained from a factorial analysis. Multiple regression models were used to identify the variables associated with the increase in Body Mass Index, with a significance level of 5%. Results: the prevalence of excess weight was 31.8%. The adolescents participating in the study consumed soft drinks (66.2%) and industrialized food products (66.9%) every week and ate in front of the TV every day (54.4%). The most prevalent type of abuse was emotional neglect, which affected 100% of the sample under study. An association was evidenced of physical neglect in childhood and intake of industrialized food products with the increase in the Body Mass Index z-score. Conclusion: violence in childhood and the consumption of industrialized food products were associated to the increase in Body Mass Index among adolescents. Investments in public policies for comprehensive promotion of health and protection of children and adolescents are imperious.