Background:

The prevalence of obesity in school-aged children in Chile tripled from 5.8 % in 1987 to 17 % in 2000.

Objective:

Identify physical activity habits, nutritional status, and food consumption patterns in first graders in the city of Taltal, Chile.

Materials and Methods:

Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study of 94 students 6.5 ± 0.5 years of age in Taltal, Chile to explore physical activity, food intake, and nutritional status as measured by BMI and waist circumference.

Results:

According to BMI, 58.5 % of the sample had excess weight; 23.4 % obese and 5.3 % severely obese, with higher prevalences observed in males (p=0.035 and p=0.014 respectively). 28 % of both males and females were overweight (p>0.05). Of the foods consumed at snack and lunch, 78 % were high in fat and 16.8 % low in fat content. Only 41.5 % of subjects both male and female (p<0.05) participated in regular physical activity.

Conclusions:

As measured by BMI, 58.3 % of students were overweight or obese, with obesity more prevalent in males. Both sexes consumed a majority of foods with a high fat content and 66 % of students are sedentary.

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