Concerns about childhood obesity are justified both by its increasing permanent prevalence in the adult age as well as its potential risk regarding several diseases. In the present work we report the prevalence of obesity within a representative sample of students in public and private schools from Salvador, Bahia, northeastern Brazil. We have studied 387 students randomly selected in two stages, 55% of those were male aged 5 to 10 years and 66% were public schools students. Obesity was defined based on the body mass index (BMI) as > the 95th percentile regarding age and sex according to Himes (1994) and Anjos (1998). The test for similar proportions was applied for statistical analysis. In private schools a larger prevalence of obesity (30%) was observed as opposed to that in public schools (8%) (p< 0.001). Frequencies of obesity related to sex and race within public and private schools were similar. A greater percentage of obesity was observed in students aged 7 and 9 in private schools and 9 and 10 in public schools. We conclude that there is a direct relation regarding obesity and the social-economic level of the involved population.
Obesity; School children; Body mass index; Private school; Public school
