Prevalence Of Overweight/Obesity In School-Aged Children From Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, And Its Association With Arterial Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction. Obesity represents a major public health threat due to the high incidence of chronic disease in persons who are obese. Objective: to determine the prevalence of overweight/obesity in school age children in Celaya, Mexico, and its association with arterial hypertension. The protocol for this study was reviewed and approved by the Research and Bioethics Committee at the School of Nursing and Obstetrics at the University of Guanajuato. Materials and methods. The study is a cross-sectional, analytic, comparative, and community-based. Population: students enrolled in public elementary schools in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico. Inclusion criteria: both male and female children eight years of age and older were enrolled in the study given that their parents signed an informed consent, and that they assented to participate. Male and female children ages six and seven were also included in the study if their parents signed the informed consent. Exclusion criteria: children younger than six years of age, children who did not assent to participate in the study, children whose parents did not sign the informed consent. Sample: We randomized select four elementary schools in Celaya; in them, we invited parents and children to participate in the study. We measured age, gender, weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI) and arterial tension. Outcomes were: not overweight: children at or below the 74th percentile of the CDC’s 2000 BMI curve; overweight/obese: children at or above the 75th BMI percentile. Hypertension was defined as having arterial tension above the 95th percentile given height, age, and gender. Statistical analysis. Chi-squared and Odds Ratio tests were performed to assess the association between overweight/obesity and arterial hypertension. Results. Our final sample included 301 children. The prevalence of overweight/obesity in our sample was 66.11% (199/301), while the prevalence of arterial hypertension was 7.97% (24/301). A Chi-squared test resulted in X = 3.45 df 1 p=0.06 when testing the association between overweight/obesity and arterial hypertension; the Odds Ratio was OR= 2.74 CI95%=0.90 to 8.30.Discussion. The prevalence of overweight/obesity in elementary school children was higher than we had expected to find. We also conclude that overweight/obesity and arterial hypertension are associated within this population.