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

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 percentile of National Center for Health Statistics -NCHS) and 233 controls (BMI > 5 and < 85 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. (Nutr Hosp. 2009;24:17-24)