Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access

Attitudes and eating behavior in overweight/obese children, residents of favelas in Brazil

JOINT EVENT ON 13^th Euro Obesity and Endocrinology Congress and 16^th World Congress on Nutrition and Food Chemistry

September 18-20, 2017 | Zurich, Switzerland

Andrea Filgueiras, Pollyanna F Patriota, Viviane Bellucci and Ana Lydia Sawaya

Federal University of S�?£o Paulo, Brazil

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci

Abstract :

Statement of the Problem: The incidence of eating disorders increases in early adolescence between the age of 10 and 13 years, suggesting that the antecedent conditions for such disorders arise before adolescence. Understanding risk factors for this early behavioral eating disorder is important to avoid the possible development of depression, weight gain cycling, and eating disorders. The objective of this study is to evaluate attitudes and eating behaviors of children overweight at a public school in Brazil. Methodology: A total of 139 children (54% girls) with overweight (Z score BMI/age â�?¥1) aged 7 to 13 years participated in the study (M=9.41 DP 1.12). All children were assessed by the Children's Eating Attitude Test (ChEAT). The scale has 26 items and the score varies between 0-78 and the three subscales related to the changes in the food attitude present the following score: Aspects related to diet compliance (0-39); preoccupation with food and bulimia (0-18) and; control of food intake (0-18). Total score â�?¥20 was considered as the cutoff point for severe food behavior changes based on the criteria of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Scores â�?¥10<20 indicate moderate changes and scores <10 indicate normal CA. Results: Of the children who presented alterations, 35% were girls. For the subscale - one, 13% presented scores greater than 20; 6% had a score higher than nine for subscale-three and 9% had a score higher than nine for subscale-three. About 60% of children have altered eating behavior. Conclusion: The findings of this study are in addition to the growing number of researches on the emergence and consolidation of eating disorder symptoms in children and young adolescents. Our results strongly suggest the importance of early interventions to address children's eating behavioral changes.

Biography :

Andrea Filgueiras is a PhD student in Nutrition at Federal University of São Paulo. She holds experience on teaching, research and extension on the areas of obesity, eating behavioural and physiology of nutrition.