Food and nutritional education actions in preventing weight in school: Experience of the health programa t school in a municipality of the valley of Rio dos Sinos-RS

Abstract

Objective: describe the anthropometric profile and experience in the development of food and nutrition education (EAN) actions of the School Health Program (PSE) in the prevention of overweight in schoolchildren in a municipality in the Vale do Rio dos Sinos-RS. Methods: this is a quantitative, descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study. An anthropometric assessment and actions to prevent excess weight were carried out in elementary school students from schools agreed to the PSE in a municipality in the Vale do Rio dos Sinos-RS in 2019. Results: The nutritional assessment was made up of 1,652 students aged between 6 months and 15 years, 841 female (50.9%) and 811 male (49.1%). As for the classification of nutritional status, 2.5% were thin, 1.5% at risk for overweight, 19.1% overweight and 16.8% some degree of obesity and 60.1% were eutrophic, it was identified that in schoolchildren under five years the prevalence of risk for overweight was 25.0% (n=8), over ten years the prevalence of thinness was 4% (n=26) and overweight was 21.7% (n =141) these showed a significant association. Regarding the performance of EAN actions, the result was satisfactory, as the students were proactive, participating in activities, interacting and clarifying doubts. Conclusion: With this study, we can conclude that, identifying the nutritional profile of students, helped in the monitoring strategy of overweight prevalence in the city, as well as the performance of EAN actions in schools agreed to the PSE, which were well accepted by part of the students to the proposed activities, confirming the need to expose children and adolescents to the theme of food and nutrition. Thus, it is necessary that the school environment is a space that promotes nutritional education, information and activities related to the promotion of healthy eating.