Abstract
ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of abdominal obesity and verify the association with sociodemographic factors (gender, school shift, ethnicity, age, maternal education and economic status) and lifestyle (alcohol consumption, sleep, soft drink consumption, level of physical activity and sedentary behavior) in adolescents in Southern Brazil. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional epidemiological study of 930 adolescents (490 girls) aged 14–19 years, living in the city of São José, SC, Brazil. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and lifestyle data. Abdominal obesity was measured through the waist circumference and analyzed according to gender and age. Descriptive statistics (absolute and relative frequency, mean and standard deviation) and binary logistic regression, expressed as Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were employed, with p<0.05 being considered statistically significant; the SPSS 17.0 software was used for the statistical analyses. ResultsThe prevalence of abdominal obesity was 10.6% for the total sample (10.5% male, 10.8% female). Adolescents that watched television daily for two or more hours (OR=2.11, 95%CI 1.08–4.13) had a higher chance of having abdominal obesity and adolescents whose mothers had fewer than eight years of schooling (OR=0.56; 95%CI from 0.35 to 0.91) had a lower chance of having abdominal obesity. ConclusionsApproximately one in 10 adolescents had abdominal obesity; the associated factors were maternal schooling (≥8 years) and television screen time (≥2h/day).
Highlights
Abdominal fat accumulation in adolescents is an independent risk factor for chronic disease, such as hypertension, fatty liver, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes,[1,2] as well association with metabolic syndrome in adolescence and adulthood.[2]
The present study main findings were: (i) about one in 10 adolescents had abdominal obesity (AO) (10.6%); (ii) adolescents who watched television for two or more hours were more likely to have AO (OR=2.11, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.08---4.13), and (iii) adolescents whose mothers had less than eight years of education were less likely to have AO (OR=0.56; 95%CI 0.35---0.91)
Such behavior is modifiable through health education initiatives, which may result in lower prevalence of AO
Summary
Abdominal fat accumulation in adolescents is an independent risk factor for chronic disease, such as hypertension, fatty liver, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes,[1,2] as well association with metabolic syndrome in adolescence and adulthood.[2]. The literature reports different prevalence of AO, which shows differences and/or cultural and social similarities.[4] Park et al.[1] found difference in prevalence of AO when comparing adolescents aged 12---19 years in the United States and South Korea (34.7% and 8.4%, respectively). Schröder et al.[5] described AO prevalence of 11.6% when investigating Spanish adolescents aged 12---17 years. These differences in AO prevalence are seen in Brazil. Silva et al.[7] in a study with 1065 adolescents (aged 14---17 years) found 2.1% of AO prevalence in the Southeast region (Minas Gerais) and 6.3% in the South region (Santa Catarina). In the South region, studies performed in Curitiba[8] and Saudades[9] found AO prevalence of 12.2% and 13.3% in adolescents, respectively
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