OBJECTIVES: to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in students from a public school in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. METHODS: a cross sectional study was performed with 211 adolescents from a public school in Recife, in 2000. Overweight was defined as a Body Mass Index equal or above the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile. Obesity was defined as a Body Mass Index equal or above the 95th percentile. RESULTS: an overweight prevalence of 6,2% and an obesity prevalence of 5,7% were found. There was not a statistically significant difference in overweight and obesity prevalences between males and females. Overweight prevalence was 6,6% in the male sex and 5,6%, in females (p = 0,99). Obesity prevalence was 6,7% in female adolescents and 4,9% in males. CONCLUSIONS: the overweight and obesity prevalences found in this study did not reach the magnitude observed in developed countries, but they deserve attention because of the risk of persistent obesity in adulthood and its association with several morbid conditions.
Obesity; Adolescence; Prevalence
