OBJECTIVES: to determine overweight and obesity prevalence in adolescent students in the Municipality of Fortaleza, Brazil and to estimate prevalence rates of public and private schools according to gender and age group (early and late adolescence). METHODS: a cross sectional study performed in the period of March to May 2003 comprised of 1158 adolescents, 571 from public schools and 587 from private schools. Overweight was defined when body mass index (BMI) was determined to be equal or above percentile 85 and under percentile 95; obesity was defined when BMI was determined as equal or over percentile 95, regardless of age and gender. RESULTS: total prevalence of overweight and obesity was of 19.5%. In private schools, overweight/obesity reached 23.9%, a rate higher than in public schools (18.0%) (p = 0.018). Overweight/ obesity prevalence in the male gender (19.6%) was similar to the female gender (19.0%) p = 0.80), in early adolescence, prevalence was (24.1%) higher than in late adolescence (15.0%) (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: overweight and obesity prevalence in adolescent students of the city of Fortaleza was determined to be high, in private schools and higher in early adolescence with no difference between genders.
Prevalence; Obesity; Adolescents; Students
