Occupational performance of school teens with overweight

Abstract

Overweight in adolescence is becoming a public health problem, has multifactorial causes and generates consequences that may impair the performance of occupations in various areas of life of the subjects. Objective: To identify the problem-activities of adolescents who attend school and who are overweight/obese. Methodological Procedures: A cross-sectional and descriptive study of adolescents aged 13 – 18 years attending a private school in the city of Recife. A questionnaire was applied requiring data on the independent variables; Body Mass Index was calculated for the classifi cation of overweight/obesity, and occupational performance was assessed by the Canadian Measurement of Occupational Performance. Results: Of the initial sample of 86 adolescents, 14 presented excess weight, 10 of them being overweight and 4 obese. Sedentary activities, inadequate consumption of food and insuffi cient physical activity were important variables. The problem activities most frequently reported fell within the domains: functioning in the community, functional mobility, school and active recreation. Conclusions: Diffi culties were found in the occupational performance of the adolescents with overweight/obesity, mainly in their productive and leisure activities.