[Assessment of the nutritional status, physical activity, and eating habits of schoolchildren in Cercado de Lima].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the nutritional status, physical activity, and eating habits of schoolchildren in Cercado de Lima (Lima district).


METHODS
Cross-sectional descriptive study. The sample included schoolchildren from first to fourth grade in four public elementary schools located in Cercado de Lima. The study variables were nutritional status, hemoglobin dose, physical activity, and eating habits. The percentages of the qualitative variables and central tendency measures for quantitative ones were calculated. The t-test and chi-squared test were applied to analyze differences between both genders.


RESULTS
Of 824 schoolchildren included in the study, 24% were obese, 22% were overweight, 5% had short stature, and 11.9% had anemia; in all instances, there were no substantial gender differences. More than 40% of schoolchildren would eat crackers and drink packaged juice and/or soda two or more times a week. In addition, 28% of schoolchildren were inactive; there were significant differences in both genders (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Obesity is an ongoing problem with higher rates than overweight and, together, the aforementioned problems affect almost 50% of schoolchildren surveyed. Similarly, the study revealed patterns associated with a sedentary lifestyle and frequent consumption of foods with high levels of sugar, salt, and/or fats.
Centro Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición, Instituto Nacional de Salud. Lima, Perú.|Departamento Académico de Nutrición, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Lima, Perú.
Juan Pablo
JP
Aparco
Centro Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición, Instituto Nacional de Salud. Lima, Perú.
William
W
Bautista-Olórtegui
Centro Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición, Instituto Nacional de Salud. Lima, Perú.|Escuela de Nutrición, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas. Lima, Perú.
Laura
L
Astete-Robilliard
Centro Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición, Instituto Nacional de Salud. Lima, Perú.
Jenny
J
Pillaca
D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity; D050177:Overweight