Cooccurrence of obesogenic risk factors in Brazilian adolescents: the role of sociodemographic characteristics and parental presence

• Published in: Cadernos de saúde pública Vol. 37; no. 3; p. e00013120
• Main Authors: Chaves, Otaviana Cardoso, Velasquez-Melendez, Gustavo, Costa, Dário Alves da Silva, Andrade, Roseli Gomes de, Caiaffa, Waleska Teixeira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 2021
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Brazil - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Obesity - epidemiology; Parents; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Brazil
• ISSN: 1678-4464
• DOI: 10.1590/0102-311X00013120

The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of cooccurrence of obesogenic risk factors in Brazilian adolescents and associated sociodemographic and family characteristics. This is a cross-sectional study of data from the Brazilian National School Health Survey, 2009 (n = 53,274). The outcome variable (cooccurrence of obesogenic risk factors) varied from zero to five and was obtained as the sum of the risk behaviors: daily consumption of soft drinks; daily consumption of candy; insufficient consumption of fruits; insufficient consumption of vegetables; and insufficient physical activity. The explanatory variables were sex, age, skin color, region of Brazil, household goods and services score, maternal schooling, type of school, family composition, parental monitoring, and main meals shared with parents or guardians. A Venn diagram was used for exploratory analysis, plus ordinal logistic regression with partial proportional odds model for multivariate analysis. The results showed higher odds of simultaneous occurrence of the factors in adolescent girls, in teens with less parental supervision, and teens who shared fewer meals with their parents or guardians. Meanwhile, adolescents living in more developed regions of the country and those whose mothers had more schooling showed lower odds of cooccurrence of obesogenic risk factors. Actions that encourage greater family involvement and supervision in dietary behavior can have a positive impact on the prevention of obesity in Brazilian adolescents, especially in less developed regions and in homes where the mothers have less schooling.