title: Nutritional status and lipid profile of young children in Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the nutritional status and lipid profile of young children from an urban Brazilian region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study involving a representative sample of 472 children aged 5-8 years from Jundiai city. The nutritional status was assessed by the body mass index for age. Total cholesterol and fractions (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol) and triglycerides concentrations were determined by automated enzymatic methods. The results were analyzed by the student t-test and Fisher exact test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overweight/obesity was observed in 22% of the children and thinness in 3.2%. Girls presented a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity (24.0%) and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (22.8%) compared with boys (19.7% and 10.6%), respectively (p < 0.001). The prevalence of children with elevated and borderline total cholesterol was 32.8% and 26.7%, respectively, although 82.8% had desirable levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of overweight/obesity and dyslipidaemia observed in these children is a matter of concern considering the age group evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Department, Federal University of Piauí, Campus Senador Helvídio Nunes de Barros, Rua Cícero Eduardo s/n, Bairro Junco, Picos, PI, CEP-64600-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Joilane Alves
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Patricia Helen Carvalho
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Rondó
authors.forename: Jesuana Oliveira
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Lemos
authors.forename: Ellaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Cinthya
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Thiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hipólito
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014505:Urban Population; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol