Objective:: To evaluate the prevalence of overweight in adolescents and its associated factors.
Methods:: A cross-sectional study in public and private schools in Goiania, Brazil. Socioeconomic status, family history of obesity, lifestyle, blood pressure and Body Mass Index were studied in a sample of 1,169 Brazilian youth aged 12 - 18 years, who attended public and private schools. Data were obtained from a questionnaire and anthropometric measurements previously tested in a pilot study. Poisson regression was used to estimate the prevalence of overweight, prevalence ratios and associations with the other factors.
Results:: The prevalence of overweight was 21.2%, with a significant difference between boys and girls (26.3 and 16.8% respectively). Regression analysis showed that maternal obesity was associated with a higher prevalence of overweight in boys (PR = 1.86; p = 0.004), and boys aged 15 - 18 years had a lower prevalence of overweight than boys aged 12 - 14 years (PR = 0.70; p = 0.021). Among the girls, the presence of obese parents was associated with higher prevalence of overweight (PR = 2.42; p < 0.001), and the girls from a C class socioeconomic position were negatively associated with overweight (PR = 0.67; p = 0.035).
Conclusions:: Overweight in adolescence is associated with gender, obesity family history, and socioeconomic position. These data should be considered when planning intervention programs.