[Overweight and obesity in prepubertal schoolchildren: the association with low birth weight and family antecedents of cardiovascular disease. Embu - metropolitan region of São Paulo, 2006].

The aim was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren and the association with birth weight and family antecedents of cardiovascular disease. This cross-sectional study used a probabilistic sample of 929 schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years. The variables were: body mass index (BMI), birth weight and family antecedents of cardiovascular disease. The statistical analysis consisted of the chi-square test (Pearson) and odds ratio, as association measurements. Of the schoolchildren (54.6% of which were female), 14.4% and 13.3% were overweight and obese, respectively. Low birth weight was reported among 9.4% and family antecedents of cardiovascular disease among 35.2%. Overweight or obesity (BMI e" P85) was associated with the presence of family antecedents of cardiovascular disease (OR = 1.66; 95% CI 1.23-2.23) and male sex (OR = 1.37; 95%CI 1.02-1.83); there was no association with birth weight. The results indicate the need for preventive actions for children with family antecedents of cardiovascular disease.