Abstract Objective: To estimate the prevalence of excessive weight and to identify associations with socioeconomic, demographic, biological, and lifestyle factors in adolescents. Methods: It is a cross-sectional school-based study, with a stratified and complex sample. The evaluated individuals were adolescents (2404), aged 12-17 years old, participating in the Study of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adolescents (ERICA). Demographic, socioeconomic, biological, anthropometric, and lifestyle variables were assessed. Poisson regression was used to verify the association between excess weight and independent variables. Results: The prevalence of excessive weight was 26.3% in the study population, being 16.3% for overweight and 10% for obesity. In the multivariate analysis (hierarchical model), were associated with excessive weight: private education network, a higher number of televisions in the residence, eating habits related to the breakfast consumption, snacks purchase in the canteen, snacks in front to screens consumption and consumption of carbohydrates and lipids, in addition to age group (12-14 years) and sexual maturation (post-pubertal). Conclusions: The prevalence of excessive weight among the school adolescents studied is high, with a value higher than the national average and the results of previous studies with adolescents. Its distribution is associated with different factors, which are socioeconomic, demographic, biological, and related to lifestyle, reinforcing the complexity of this condition, which deserves a broad coping approach, involving not only individual efforts but social and public ones as well.

RESUMO Objetivo: Investigar o excesso de peso em adolescentes do Sertão e Agreste de Pernambuco, considerando a multifatoriedade dos determinantes do excesso de peso e as condições de insegurança alimentar e nutricional da região. Métodos: Estudo transversal, de base populacional, realizado no período de setembro a outubro de 2015. O estado nutricional dos adolescentes foi avaliado pelo índice de massa corpórea (IMC) e classificado pelo indicador IMC/idade, segundo o sexo. Para analisar os fatores associados ao excesso de peso, as variáveis foram agrupadas em: socioeconômicas, demográficas, ambientais, de estilo de vida, psicológicas, biológicas e segurança alimentar e nutricional. A regressão de Poisson foi utilizada para verificar a associação entre o excesso de peso e as variáveis independentes. Resultados: A prevalência de excesso de peso encontrada foi de 20,1%, sendo 13,4% de sobrepeso e 6,7% de obesidade. Após o ajuste para as variáveis de confusão, as variáveis regime de ocupação (casa cedida, alugada), consumo de álcool, segurança alimentar, insegurança alimentar leve, percepção corporal (sobrepeso e obesidade) e faixa etária (10 a 14 anos) mostraram-se associadas ao excesso de peso. Destaca-se a elevada insegurança alimentar e nutricional, em 80,4% da população, sendo as formas moderadas e graves as mais frequentes, como também as precárias condições sociais ainda prevalentes na região. Conclusões: A prevalência de excesso de peso foi elevada, superando o esperado para uma população com melhores condições de vida. Os determinantes do excesso de peso foram: consumo de álcool, regime de ocupação, autopercepção do peso, faixa etária e segurança alimentar/insegurança alimentar leve.

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate context of overweight adolescents from the semiarid and rural areas of Pernambuco, considering the multifactorial nature of the determinants of being overweight, and the food and nutritional insecurity conditions of the region. Methods: A population based cross-sectional study was conducted from September to October 2015. The nutritional status of adolescents was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and classified by the BMI/Age indicator, according to sex. To analyze the factors associated with being overweight, the variables were grouped into: socioeconomic, demographic, environmental, lifestyle, psychological, biological and food and nutritional security. Poisson regression was used to verify the association between being overweight and independent variables. Results: The prevalence of excessive weight found was 20.1%, namely: 13.4% overweight and 6.7% obese. After adjusting for the confounding variables, the variables: occupancy situation (rented house), alcohol consumption, food security and light food insecurity, body perception (overweight and obese) and age range (10 to 14 years), were associated with being overweight. High food and nutritional insecurity was identified in 80.4% of the population. The moderate and severe forms were more frequent, and precarious social conditions were still prevalent in the region. Conclusions: The prevalence of being overweight was high, exceeding the expected for a population with better living conditions. The determinants of being overweight were: alcohol consumption, occupancy situation, self-perceived weight, age and food security/mild food insecurity.