This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of adolescents. A cross-sectional study was taken in a public high school in São Paulo, Brazil, with 92 students ages 11 to 17 years. The sample was performed using systematic statistical selection. Nutritional status of adolescents was assessed using body mass index (BMI), compared to WHO (1995) standards. Prevalence rates for "risk of overweight" and "overweight" were 27.9% and 4.6%, respectively, for boys, as compared to 10.2% and 16.3% for girls. Prevalence of "risk of overweight" and "overweight" was thus high for both sexes; the results were similar in comparison to other studies. In addition, the difference in nutritional status between genders was significant (p < 0.05).
Adolescence; Anthropometry; Body Mass Index; Nutritional Status
