Risk factors for overweight and obesity in adolescents of a Brazilian university: a case-control study

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the risk factors associated to overweight and obesity in freshmen of a public university in the Center-West region of Brazil.Methods: A case-control study comprising 1,465 adolescents, identifying 106 cases (Body Mass Index (BMI) > = 85(th) percentile of National Center for Health Statistics -NCHS) and 233 controls (BMI > 5(th) and < 85(th) percentile of NCHS). Interviews were made to collect information on socioeconomic data, eating habits, physical activity and health habits. Information on parents' height and weight were obtained over the telephone.Results: Non-conditional multivariate and hierarchical logistic regression showed that overweight and obesity were positively associated to males (odds ratio (OR) 2.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37-3.69), mother's BMI (OR 3.45,95% CI 2.16-5.8), overweight in childhood (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.62-4.85), consumption of fruits less than once a day (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.05-3.21) and the habit of weight-loss dieting (OR 6.33,95% CI 2.68-14.94).Conclusion: Results emphasize the need for educational interventions at early ages involving the whole family to control the excess of weight.