Abstract:

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and factors associated with obesity in children with special educational needs (SEN) of the municipal school system of Montes Claros-MG. Methodology: Descriptive study of a quantitative, observational, cross-sectional approach. For this study, a socio-demographic and behavioral questionnaire was applied. An anthropometric evaluation of height and weight was then performed to obtain the Body Mass Index. A descriptive statistical analysis and the chi-square test were used. Results: 85 students with SEN were included in the study, of which 50.6% (n = 43) were female and 49.4% (n = 42) were male. It can be observed that the majority of the sample has a eutrophic profile (70.6%). However, the prevalence of overweight / obese students (29.4%) is accentuated. A significant association of BMI alteration can be observed only with the variable fruit intake (p = 0.007). Conclusion: The present study showed a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among students with SEN and it was also identified the physical inactivity and poor eating habits, where an association can be observed between students with obesity and fruit consumption.

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