Resumen

KOVALSKYS, Irina; BAY, Luisa; RAUSCH HERSCOVICI, Cecile  y  BERNER, Enrique. Prevalence of obesity in the population aged 10 to 19 in the paediatric consultation. Rev. bol. ped. [online]. 2005, vol.44, n.1, pp.58-63. ISSN 1024-0675.

Introduction: The worldwide prevalence of obesity is alarming. Childhood obesity is increasing, both in developed countries as well as in underdeveloped countries. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents aged 10 to 19 who attended to the public and private pediatric consultation for any given reason. Population, material & methods: The data utilized for this study came from a broader survey, designed to determine the prevalence of eating disorders in the population aged 10-19. The data of a first cut off from this national study involved 1,289 youngsters who were weighed and measured in order to ascertain the prevalence of overweight and obesity. The sample was of 806 females (66.6%), mean age of 14.16 ± 2.51, and 483 males (37.4%), mean age of 14.12 ± 2.44. Diagnosis of overweight and obesity was established by body mass index, following the criteria of the International Task Force. Results: There were 20.8% overweighted subjects and 5.4% of obese subjects in the sample. 18.8% of the females and 24.1% of the males had overweight (p 0.02) and obesity was observed in 7.9% of the males compared to 3.4% of the females. The prevalence of overweight is significantly higher for the 10 to 12 year olds (34.3%) and that of obesity was significantly lower in those older than 16. There were no significant differences in prevalence of obesity among different regions of the country. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is a reason of concern. The reference utilized allows for international comparisons. Our data indicate a higher prevalence than that reported by the International Task Force.

Palabras clave : Obesity; overweight; adolescents; child; prevalence.

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