Abstract:

Objective: To verify the prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity among adolescents from elementary school in the municipal network of Santos. Method: A cross-sectional study conducted in 2014 and 2015 when questionnaires were applied and anthropometric measures were performed in 680 adolescents of the municipal network, in order to obtain the Body Mass Index and Waist / Stature Ratio. The Chi-Square test and the Logistic Regression Model were used to estimate the association between obesity and overweight in adolescents according to characteristics of interest. A significance level of less than or equal to 0.05 was adopted. Results: It was observed a prevalence of overweight and obesity in 19.97% and 19.85%, respectively. Adolescents with an Waist-to-height greater than or equal to 0.50 presented a high chance of being overweight or obese. Students born in normal birth were protected in about 27% to be overweight or obese, but this relation was not significant. Students born weighing less than 1500 grams had a high chance of being obese or overweight, those born with a weight between 1500 and 2499 grams had a reduced chance. Discussion: The prevalence of obesity was higher than in the previous decade. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of overweight / obesity in primary school adolescents in the city of Santos. The associated factors, in this study, were the birth weight and the Waist-to-height ratio.

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