Nutritional risk in outpatients of a geriatric neuropsychiatry clinic

Abstract

Purpose Sedentarism is a global epidemic that engages 60 to 70% of the global population. A progressive physical activities decline occurs from childhood to adolescence. This study aims to compare extracurricular physical activity among students with and without overweight and to relate it to the level of physical activity of their parents. Methods This cross-sectional study evaluated 375 children aged 6-11 years from two public schools that have extracurricular and optional activities. Data collected: weight and height for the calculation of body mass index and height/age z-scores; waist circumference to calculate waist to height ratio; extracurricular physical activity of children and parents/caregivers (short version of the IPAQ-International Physical Activity Questionnaire). Results Mean age was 8.7 ± 1.4 years in the studied population; overweight and obesity was observed in 98 (26.8%) and 79 (21.6%) children, respectively. Extracurricular physical activity was observed in 86 (22.9%) children. Physical activity of parents was not associated with children's practice or their nutritional status. No difference was found in relation to physical activity and nutritional status. However, boys were less engaged in physical activities compared with girls (32-37.2% vs 54-62.8%, p = 0.003). Conclusion Considering the importance of promoting children's physical activity and based on the results evidenced in this study highlighting the low demand for physical activity provided by schools, stimulating measures by educators and family members are clearly required.