Growth and Nutritional Status of Adolescents School

Objective: to evaluate the stature growth achieved and the nutritional status of adolescents from public schools in a metropolitan area of ​​the Southern Region of Brazil.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of 7225 schoolchildren, 47.8% girls and 51.3% boys, 10 to 16 years of age. Stature (E), body weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) were evaluated according to Norms of the Ministry of Health (MS), and the values ​​were transformed into z scores by the World Health Organization (WHO 2007) reference framework, comparing Their central trends and their variability. Classification of nutritional status and growth was by WHO / MS criteria.

Results: The highest proportion of adolescents was 10 years old (37.4%), decreasing year by year, the lowest being 15 and 16 years old (4.4%). The mean z score of E decreases progressively from 0.1 to -0.4 with age; With standard deviations (dp) ranging from 1.2 to 1.0. The mean Z score of BMI also decreases from 0.5 to 0.3 (girls) and 0.6 to 0.3 (boys), with dp varying from 1.4 to 1.2. Regarding the short stature (BE) and very short stature (BEM) the prevalences were 2.6 and 0.6%, respectively, without difference by sex. The prevalences of overweight (SP), obesity (Ob) and severe obesity (ObG) were 20.3; 10.0 and 1.7%, with boys presenting significantly higher prevalences of Ob and ObG. BMI z scores also showed a decreasing trend with age. Slight thinness and thinness were rare, affecting 1.8 and 0.5% of the sample.

Conclusions: adolescents from public schools in the south of the country have a high prevalence of overweight, obesity and severe obesity, and show an average growth similar to that expected, despite a decreasing trend with age. Table which is compatible with an advanced phase transition.