Prevalence and factors associated with high body fat in adolescents from a region of Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and factors associated with high body fat in adolescents. A cross-sectional study conducted with 601 students from both sexes aged 14-17 years who live in Midwestern state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Body adiposity was assessed by the sum of subscapular and triceps skinfolds. Sociodemographic variables such as lifestyle, aerobic fitness and nutritional status were assessed. For data analysis, Poisson regression multivariable was used. The prevalence of high body fat was 51.2% for girls and 31.2% for boys. Higher prevalences of high body fat were observed for girls aged 16-17 years (PR: 1.15, CI 95%: 1.07-1.24) and overweight (PR: 1.36, CI 95%: 1.27-1.44) and for boys with high socioeconomic level (PR: 1.21, CI 95%: 1.09-1.34), inadequate eating habits (PR: 1.11, CI 95%: 1.02-1.21), physically inactive (PR: 1.10, CI 95%: 1.02-1.19) and overweight (PR: 1.46, CI 95%: 1.35-1.57). The prevalence of high body fat was high and factors associated with this outcome are different for each sex; thus, interventions for prevention and control of obesity should be different for girls and boys. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.