The nutritional status of children and adolescents in the Pioneer North of Paraná: a cross-sectional study with 4,796 school students

Abstract This study aimed to analyze the nutritional status of children and adolescents in three cities in the Pioneer North region of Paraná state. The study comprised 4,796 students enrolled in municipal schools. The analyses were conducted on the WHO AnthroPlus software based on the following growth indicators: weight for age (W/A), height for age (H/A), and body mass index for age (BMI/A). These indicators were then classified as obese +3; overweight +2; risk for overweight +1; eutrophic -1 to 0; malnourished -2; and severely malnourished -3. The same software also provided growth curves. The results analysis showed that 18% of the students were overweight, and 41% were at risk of being overweight; therefore, 59% of the total percentage of overweight and only 25% of eutrophic individuals were observed, in addition to a significant percentage of child malnutrition of 16%. The individual growth curves provided by the software indicated that all obese children showed the same pattern, resulting in (+3) for all indicators and (-3) in malnutrition. In conclusion, BMI/A) increases as height increases, following the corresponding nutritional status, such as being overweight and malnutrition. Even as the children grow, they remain obese or malnourished compared to the percentage and the curves. 59% of the individuals were overweight and only 25% were eutrophic, a very low level compared to overweight, thus showing a worrying finding, in addition to the significant increase of 16% in child malnutrition.