Risk Factors Associated with Malnutrition Caused by Over-consumption in Adolescents

Introduction: obesity and overweight are currently a considerable health problem for children and adolescents in Cuba. Objective: to determine risk factors associated with malnutrition caused by over-consumption in the Julio Grave de Peralta Polyclinic, in Holguin, from August 2011 to February 2012. Methods: a transversal analytical study was performed including 37 adolescents aged from 15 to 19 years old. The variables analyzed in the study were: sex, nutritional assessment, blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglycerides. For comparative analysis we used the chi-square test. In all cases, we worked with a significance level of p < 0,05. Results: obesity was found in 24, 32 % of adolescents and was more common in females. In the group of patients with malnutrition caused by overweight, 12 had pathological family history of obesity (80 %), X-2 = 13, 87. These adolescents presented high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and 20 % of them suffered from grade I hypertension. A significant association was found between malnutrition and excessive levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. Conclusions: the pathological family history of obesity, high cholesterol and triglycerides and high blood pressure emerged as risk factors associated with overweight in the teenagers included in the study.