Introduction. Increasing incidence of excess weight and poor physical fitness of children validates the need for preventive actions. The Szczecin municipality (gmina Szczecin) runs the "Odważna ósemka" ("The Brave Eight") program-Prevention of excess weight and obesity in 8 and 9-year-old children attending elementary school in Szczecin, Poland. Aim. The assessment of physical fitness as well as the prevalence and intensity of excess body weight and blood pressure rates among the 8 and 9-year-old children attending elementary school in Szczecin, Poland. Material and methods. Between 6 th December 2016 and 3 rd December 2017, 3407 8 and 9-year-old children were examined (1757 girls and 1650 boys). BMI (Body Mass Index) as well as WHR (Waist Hip Ratio) were calculated. All the children were assessed according to criteria established by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). The examination included basic anthropometric measurements, such as: body height and weight, waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, body constitution analysis, and physical fitness assessment. Results. Excess body weight was diagnosed in 822 patients, which is 24.1% of the examined population. 369 patients were diagnosed with elevated blood pressure (10.8%). Very poor physical fitness-test abandoned before the completion (HR>180/min), was diagnosed in 151 children (4.5%), very poor physical fitness was diagnosed in 234 children (7%), poor physical fitness was diagnosed in 827 children (24.9%), sufficient physical fitness was diagnosed in 961 children (29.2%), good physical fitness was diagnosed in 650 children (19.5%), very good physical fitness was diagnose in 428 children (12.8%) and excellent in 70 children (2.1%). Conclusion. The fact of unsatisfactory physical fitness and excess body weight in children from Szczecin is unsettling. There is ceratainly a need for preventive measures in the broad sense. Key words children, excess body weight, overweight, obesity, physical activity Streszczenie Wprowadzenie. Wzrastająca częstość występowania nadmiernej masy ciała oraz słaba wydolność fizyczna u dzieci uzasadnia potrzebę prowadzenia działań profilaktycznych. Gmina Szczecin realizuje program "Odważna ósemka"-Przeciwdziałanie nadwadze i otyłości wśród dzieci w wieku 8-9 lat uczęszczających do szczecińskich szkół podstawowych. Cel. Ocena wydolności fizycznej oraz częstości występowania i stopnia nasilenia nadmiernej masy ciała, wartości ciśnienia tętniczego, wśród 8-i 9-letnich dzieci uczęszczających do szczecińskich szkół podstawowych. Materiał i metody. Od 6 grudnia 2016 do 3 grudnia 2017 zostało zbadanych 3407 dzieci (1757 dziewczynek i 1650 chłopów) 8-i 9-letnich. Obliczono wskaźnik masy ciała BMI (body mass index) oraz wskaźnik WHR (waist-hip ratio). Przyjęto kryteria opracowane przez International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). Badania obejmowały pomiary podstawowych wskaźników antropometrycznych, takich jak: wysokość i masa ciała, obwód talii i bioder, ciśnienie tętnicze, analiza składu ciała, wydolność fizyczna. Wyniki. Nadmierną ma...

Childhood obesity remains one of the most serious medical challenges of the 21st century. The aim of the study was to obtain epidemiological data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 8- and 9-year-old children in Szczecin, and to evaluate the effectiveness of medical intervention in the form of a year of interdisciplinary work with children with excess body weight. The study consisted of two main stages: I—screening, II—intervention. The program was implemented for three consecutive years, starting in 2016–2018. The entire population of 8–9-year-olds in Szczecin is 11,494 children. In the screening part of the study, 4890 children took part, whose parent agreed to participate (42.54%). In the intervention part of the study, we analyzed a group of 515 children. Children were further divided into subgroups according to the number of visits completed. Anthropometric parameters were measured on each visit. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the screened population was 16.9% and 6.4%, respectively. Statistically significant changes were observed in BMI (Body Mass Index) percentiles and BMI z-scores, as well as WHR (Waist-Hip Ratio) during the one year observation time. The best effects were achieved by the 3rd visit (for the first 6 months of the program). Thereafter, the effects diminished due to the longer interval between the 3rd and 4th visits (6 months). There is the need for long-term programs for the prevention of excessive body weight in children and adolescents with frequent checkpoints.