Abstract

Background: The frequency of obesity is increasing steadily in Chile. Aim: To assess the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and teenagers living in three southern Chilean cities. Material and Methods: The database of an evaluation performed in 2006 in schools, was used to obtain weight and height of 32514 subjects aged 12 ± 4 years (48% males). Criteria proposed by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were used to define obesity and overweight. Results: According to CDC criteria the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 11.2% and 6.5%, respectively. According to IOTF criteria, the figures were 13.2 and 4%, respectively. The higher frequency of overweight and obesity was observed among children aged less than eight years. Conclusions: There is a high frequency of obesity and overweight in the studied sample.