OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated factors among six to ten-year-old students from public county schools in the urban area of Marialva in Paraná, Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional study that used a stratified random sample of 356 students. The following variables were evaluated: body mass index, gender, age, number of siblings, physical activity and sedentary activities. Descriptive statistics was used to verify the distribution of the sample in the strata. The chi-square test was used in order to verify the differences between the distribution of the sample for each category of variables. The association between variables was tested by univariate analysis. RESULTS: Prevalence of overweight was 20% and obesity, 7%. Most students (72%) did not practice physical activity outside school and about half of them (53%) spent more than four hours a day in sedentary activities. The number of siblings was the only variable associated with excessive weight for those who had only one sibling (PR=1.64; 95%CI=1.10-2.45) and for those who had no siblings (PR=1.70; 95%CI=1.02-2.84), compared to those who had two or more siblings. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in this sample. Further studies are needed in order to investigate the prevalence of this disease in children living in small Brazilian municipalities, as well as for research and actions to prevent and/or treat obesity
child health; body mass index; overweight; obesity
