Abstract / Summary
Introduction: Promoting well-being in adolescence is a priority in public education and health policies, especially given the increase in overweight and obesity among students. Objective: To investigate the profile of body mass index according to sex and grade level among students enrolled in full-time schools in Maranhão. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 5,870 high school students from Centros Educa Mais, a full-time schooling model in Maranhão. An online questionnaire using Google Forms was utilized to collect information on name, grade level, age, sex, weight, height, the name of the Centro Educa Mais of study, and the city of residence between May 20 and June 7, 2025. The research was approved by the CEUMA University Ethics Committee, under Opinion No. 6,879,174. Results: The majority of students presented an adequate weight. A higher prevalence of overweight was observed in the 3rd grade level compared to the 1st and 2nd grade levels, while underweight progressively decreased. The increase in BMI was more evident among girls in the 3rd grade level. Discussion: Faria et al., (2015) is the only previous study on BMI in full-time students. This work expands the analysis by including a representative sample with different age groups and educational levels, revealing divergences in the findings. Conclusion: Significant differences were observed between the grade levels: a higher frequency of underweight in the 1st grade level, a reduction in the subsequent ones, and an increase in overweight, especially among girls in the 3rd grade level.
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