Variables associated with family breakdown in healthy and obese/ overweigh adolescents

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the presence of family breakdown factors among eutrophic and overweight/obese adolescents. METHODS Cross-sectional study of 242 students aged between 14 and 19 years old, from a public school. Each student was weighed, measured and answered a questionnaire with closed questions addressing the presence of family breakdown factors. The adolescents were divided in two groups: euthophic and overweight/obese. The answers of both groups were compared by Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of the studied factors between the two groups. Comparing the number of positive answers (presence of family breakdown factors) and negative ones (absence of family breakdown factors), no difference was observed between the groups. CONCLUSIONS The inclusion of a control group showed that factors of family breakdown, usually identified as associated with obesity in adolescents, may also be present in eutrophic adolescents.