Nutritional status of Brazilian schoolchildren: National Adolescent School-based Health Survey 2015

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity has increased in Brazil for all age groups. Overweight at the end of adolescence indicates a high probability of unhealthy weight in adulthood. Objective: To describe anthropometric data of the National Adolescent School-based Health Survey (PeNSE) 2015 and its distribution according to geographic and socioeconomic strata. Methods: Data from the PeNSE 2015 was used. The analysis sample consisted of adolescents aged 11 to 19 years old from public and private schools with available anthropometric data. Nutritional status was classified according to the body mass index, with reference values proposed by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). The prevalence estimates of underweight and overweight and their respective standard errors were presented. The association between anthropometric indicators and demographic or social characteristics of adolescents was estimated by odds ratio, and the respective 95% confidence intervals were presented. Results: The prevalence of underweight was less than 3%. Elevated prevalence of overweight was observed in adolescents from the South region, from the urban area, from the lowest fifths of income, and those who declared themselves to be black or indigenous. In general, the prevalence of overweight was higher among adolescents attending private schools. Conclusion: Overweight is more frequent among adolescents from low-income strata. Besides being an indicator of nutritional status, overweight may indicate social inequality in Brazil.