Overweight/obesity in teachers: prevalence and associated factors

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the prevalence and sociodemographic, occupational and lifestyle factors associated with overweight/obesity in state teachers from a northeastern Brazilian city. A cross-sectional study involving teachers from the city of Jequié-BA initially selected by cluster sampling (schools) was conducted. The sample consisted of 300 teachers, including 72.7% (n=214) women. Sociodemographic, occupational and lifestyle data were investigated. Body weight and height were obtained by self-report. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated and a level of significance of 5% was adopted. The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity was 47.2%. The prevalence was significantly higher among male teachers (58.2%), married or cohabitating subjects (49.1%), whites and mulattoes (87.6%), teachers with an income > R$ 2,002.00 and a permanent contract (45.9%), and subjects who did not consume fruits or vegetables (49.1%). After multivariate analysis, only gender (95% CI = 0.16-0.66) and consumption of fruits and vegetables (95% CI = 0.25-0.98) remained significantly associated with overweight/obesity among teachers. These findings promote debate on the need for actions designed to encourage the adoption of an active lifestyle by the teacher population.