INTRODUCTION: The number of overweight children has significantly and blatantly
increased in the last years. Childhood obesity is now considered an epidemic
condition. Obese children are prone to early develop a great variety of diseases. The morbidity and mortality of an obese minor is significantly, and obviously, higher than in euthrophic children. Avoiding its development is the most efficient way to impair the development of these pathologies since the early years of childhood, in order to provide healthy years as an adult. It is been extensively sought protective factors that might be related to the development of nutritional disturbances in children, looking therefore to block them in appearing in adulthood years. Exclusive Breastfeeding might be one of them. This paper evaluates this hypothesis, and verify if there is a protective role breastfeeding might play, alongside with social demographic, economic factors, exercising and the mother’s nutritional profile. Also serves as an objective of this paper to verify the prevalence of overweight in such children. CASUISTIC AND METHODS: 79 children were nutritionally evaluated, between 2-4 years old, from both genders, from three public daycare facilities from the city of Belém (Pará State). The BMI’S Z Score was used, according to the current WHO’s guidelines. Data as, Social- demographic, economic factors, history of exclusive breastfeeding, and the practice of physical exercising, and the nutritional profile of their mothers were thoroughly sought. RESULTS: Prevalence of 8,9% of overweight and obesity in the 79 analyzed children was noticed. There was significant relationship between the nutritional profiles of the children along with their sex. Overweight and obesity were prone to affect more girls. There was no relation between color, age, history of exclusive breastfeeding, breasfeeding duration, maternal education profile, maternal nutritional profile or exercising. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight is elevated in young children, majorly in the feminine gender. Greater emphasis is necessary to researches that seek for childhood obesity prevention methods.
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