Nutritional status of schoolchildren living on a city in Brazilian Western Amazon: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Childhood is an important phase in the formation of eating habits and in determining nutritional status. Objective: To analyze the association of socio-environmental characteristics and food consumption with the BMI of schoolchildren from the interior of the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out with schoolchildren, where information was collected on the birth of children, socioeconomic, anthropometric and food consumption characteristics. BMI for age served as the dependent variable, representing the evaluated outcome. After bivariate analysis, the variables that were associated with the outcome were selected for inclusion in a multivariable linear regression model. Results: The sample size corresponds to 97 children and their mothers. Most children were born with adequate weight (84.54%). A significant proportion of children were identified as being overweight (20.61%). The most consumed foods were fresh fruits (76.29%), followed by ultra-processed candies (56.7%) and vegetables (54.64%). Furthermore, more than half of the children consumed processed meats (50.52%) and sugary drinks (54.17%). Birth weight, gestational age, maternal BMI and family income showed a positive correlation with the students' BMI, while the absence of consumption of sugary drinks had a protective effect on the students' higher BMI. Conclusion: Higher birth weight, gestational age at birth, maternal BMI and family income were the main factors associated with higher BMI among students. Excess weight is a public health problem of moderate magnitude, reflecting the phase of nutrition transition in which the studied population is inserted.