Sobrepeso-obesidad en escolares en un área marginada de la ciudad de México.

Objective. To know the frequency of overweight-obesity in schoolchildren of a marginal area of Mexico City. Material and methods. In a sample of 448 schoolchildren aged 6 to 11 years old and living in a low socioeconomic area of Mexico City were obtained anthropometric indices of weight, stature and abdominal circumference and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Results. More than 40% of the students had nutritional problem: 37.3% reported overweight and 4.5% overweight. By the other side 4.5% children had a nutritional deficit. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was over the national average of schoochildren with predominance of overweight-obesity in males. Conclusion. It is required urgently to promote preventive measures population of food education for prevention of obesity, even in marginal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]