Prevalence of overweight among adolescents from six Latin American cities: a multivariable analysis

Abstract

Eighth and ninth grade students (n = 1272) from six Latin American cities (Buenos Aires, Argentina, Guatemala City, Guatemala, Havana, Cuba, Lima, Peru, Panama City, Panama, and Santiago, Chile) completed a questionnaire to assess the association of city, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and age with the prevalence of overweight, satisfaction with weight, and recent attempted weight loss. Logistic regression was used to model these relationships. Prevalence of overweight varied appreciably across cities. Overweight was more common among males from the higher than from the lower SES stratum, while among females this trend was reversed. Satisfaction with weight was lower among adolescents from wealthier than from poorer families, and was lower among females than among males. Attempted weight loss was generally more frequent among females than among males, and among older adolescents. Results suggest a need for age and gender-specific, culturally appropriate overweight prevention programs for adolescents and their families.