Factors associated with the nutritional status of children aged 7 to 12 years: physical exercise, food consumption and sleep

Introduction and Objective: Obesity is considered a public health problem, affecting children as well. The objective of the study was to identify factors associated with the nutritional status of children aged 7 to 12 years, such as physical exercise, food consumption, and sleep patterns. Materials and Methods: The study included children (7-12 years old) of both sexes, who play soccer in a social project in Eus & eacute;bioCE. The evaluation included anthropometric measurements, the application of a food frequency questionnaire, and assessments of sleep and exercise habits. Results: The sample consisted of 46 children, with an average age of 9.8 +/- 1.65 years, predominantly male (95.7%). The average BMI (kg/m(2)) by age was 20.4 +/- 5.39 kg/m(2), with more than 50% of the participants being overweight. Regarding sleep hours, 54.35% of the children had an average of insufficient sleep hours, but this data did not show a significant association with the studied variables, including food consumption and anthropometric diagnosis (p>0.05). No statistical significance was observed between soccer practice time and anthropometric diagnosis. However, in the analysis of food consumption, a significant association was observed between food consumption and anthropometric diagnosis in the item cauliflower (p <= 0.05). Conclusion: The present study found no association between factors such as physical exercise, food consumption, and adequate sleep patterns with the nutritional status of children aged 7 to 12 years. However, a high percentage of overweight children was identified.