The relationship between parental nutritional status and overweight children/adolescents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
BACKGROUND
The association between overweight parents and overweight children/adolescents was investigated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil between 1995 and 1996, controlling for the influence of socio-economic and demographic factors.


METHODS
Data were obtained from a two-stage, residence-based, random sample survey of children and adolescents aged 6-19 years and their parents. Body mass index (BMI) was used to classify nutritional status. Initially, a logistic regression model was built, using an indicator of parental weight (maternal BMI) as one of the independent variables and the child/adolescent's BMI as the dependent variable. Following that, the association between socio-economic and demographic variables and overweight children/adolescents was analysed in a univariate analysis. These variables were pre-selected for inclusion in the logistic model, provided that their levels of statistical significance were below P=0.25, and were added to the model individually according to the order of association strength in the univariate analysis. Finally, variables were retained in this model at a significance level of P=0.05.


RESULTS
This study found that 20.7% of girls and 26.9% of boys were overweight, with a larger prevalence among children aged less than 9 years. In addition to maternal BMI, the predictors of overweight children and adolescents were age, gender and the number of people in a house.


CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate the relationship between maternal nutritional status and overweight children and adolescents, suggesting that obesity-prevention programmes should be focused on the family.
Ramos de Marins
V M
VM
Nutrition College, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. marins@nitnet.com.br
Almeida
R M V R
RM
Pereira
R A
RA
de Azevedo Barros
M B
MB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors