title: Trends in adiposity in Brazilian 7-10-year-old schoolchildren: evidence for increasing overweight but not obesity between 2002 and 2007.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The negative health consequences of childhood overweight/obesity (OW/OB) are well known. Therefore, an accurate monitoring of the OW/OB prevalence is essential. Anthropometry is the most practical and cost-effective method for nutritional status evaluation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe trends in the nutritional status among 7-10-year-old children by investigating changes in the prevalence of stunting, thinness, overweight, obesity, risk and excess abdominal adiposity, and to study changes in height-for-age, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC).
  
  
  METHODS
  A school-based sample of 7-10-year-old children participated in two cross-sectional studies in 2002 (n = 2936) and 2007 (n = 1232) in Florianopolis, southern Brazil. Prevalence of stunting, risk and excess abdominal adiposity and changes in the distribution of height-for-age, BMI-for-age, WC-for-age z-scores were evaluated. Three BMI-based references were used to define the prevalence of thinness, overweight and obesity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 2002-2007, the prevalence of stunting, thinness, obesity and excess abdominal adiposity remained stable, whereas overweight (including obesity) increased 10-23% in boys and 18-21% in girls, depending on the BMI reference used. The risk of abdominal adiposity increased in boys, but not in girls. No significant change was observed in mean height, BMI, WC-for-age z-scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study identified a potential levelling off in the prevalence of obesity and excess abdominal adiposity, but a continuing increase in the prevalence of overweight.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Physical Education, Sports Center .
authors.forename: Danielle Biazzi
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.forename: Maria Alice Altenburg
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Assis
authors.forename: David Alejandro
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: González-Chica
authors.forename: Filipe Ferreira
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: da Costa
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D050154:Adiposity; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology; D055105:Waist Circumference