BackgroundChildren who have unhealthy lifestyles are predisposed to develop hypertension, dyslipidemia and other complications. The epidemic of obesity is also affecting children with congenital heart disease. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of obesity and describe associated risk factors, including family history in children with congenital heart disease.MethodsA cross-sectional study with 316 children and adolescents with congenital heart disease seen in an outpatient clinic of a reference hospital. Collected sociodemographic data included family history of chronic disease, dietary habits, laboratory tests (total cholesterol, HDL and LDL/cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, CRP, hematocrit and hemoglobin), and anthropometric assessment. Anthropometric data of the caregivers was self-reported.ResultsThe prevalence of excess weight was 26.9%. Altered levels of total cholesterol were observed in 46.9%, of HDL in 32.7%, LDL in 23.6% and of triglycerides levels in 20.0%. A higher frequency of family history of obesity (42.6%; p = 0.001), dyslipidemia (48.1%; p = <0.001), diabetes (47.4%; p = 0.002), hypertension (39.2%; p = 0.006) and ischemic disease (43.7%; p = 0.023), as well as significantly higher values of triglycerides (p = 0.017), glycemia (p = 0.004) and C-reactive protein (p = 0.002) were observed among patients with excess weight.ConclusionThe presence of modifiable risk factors and the variables associated to excess weight in this population was similar to that described in the literature for children without congenital disease. As these children already present the risks associated to heart disease, it is particularly important to promote a healthy lifestyle in this group.

Background:Schools have become a key figure for the promotion of health and obesity interventions, bringing the development of critical awareness to the construction and promotion of a healthy diet, physical activity, and the monitoring of the nutritional status in childhood and adolescence.Objectives:To describe a study protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention designed to improve knowledge of food choices in the school environment.Methods:This is a cluster-randomized, parallel, two-arm study conducted in public elementary and middle schools in Brazil. Participants will be children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 15 years, from both genders. The interventions will be focusing on changes in lifestyle, physical activities and nutritional education. Intervention activities will occur monthly in the school’s multimedia room or sports court. The control group arm will receive usual recommendations by the school. The primary outcome variable will be anthropometric measures, such as body mass index percentiles and levels of physical activity by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.Results:We expect that after the study children will increase the ingestion of fresh food, reduce excessive consumption of sugary and processed foods, and reduce the hours of sedentary activities.Conclusion:The purpose of starting the dietary intervention at this stage of life is to develop a knowledge that will enable for healthy choices, providing opportunities for a better future for this population.

Introduction: To assess dietary habits, nutritional status and food frequency in children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) and congenital heart disease (CHD). Additionally, we attempted to compare body mass index (BMI) classifications according to the World Health Organization (WHO) curves and curves developed for individuals with DS. Method: Cross-sectional study including individuals with DS and CHD treated at a referral center for cardiology, aged 2 to 18 years. Weight, height, BMI, total energy and food frequency were measured. Nutritional status was assessed using BMI for age and gender, using curves for evaluation of patients with DS and those set by the WHO. Results: 68 subjects with DS and CHD were evaluated. Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) was the most common heart disease (52.9%). There were differences in BMI classification between the curves proposed for patients with DS and those proposed by the WHO. There was an association between consumption of vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Conclusion: Results showed that individuals with DS are mostly considered normal weight for age, when evaluated using specific curves for DS. Reviews on specific curves for DS would be the recommended practice for health professionals so as to avoid precipitated diagnosis of overweight and/or obesity in this population.

Este artigo está publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons, que permite uso, distribuição e reprodução em qualquer meio, sem restrições, desde que o trabalho seja corretamente citado. ANÁLISE DO DESENVOLVIMENTO NEUROPSICOMOTOR DE CRIANÇAS PARTICIPANTES DE UM PROGRAMA MÃE-BEBÊ Analysis of neuropsychomotor development of children participating in a motherbaby program Análisis del desarrollo neuropsicomotor de niños participantes de un programa madre-bebé

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