Overweight and obesity in the school and adolescent population

Objective. To describe the magnitude of overweight and obesity (OW+OB) in school-age children and adolescents (5-19y) in Mexico, as well as its association with the consumption of fruits and vegetables (F+V) and added sugars. Materials and methods. The prevalence of OW+OB was estimated in 15 109 schoolchildren and adolescents from the National Health and Nutrition Surveys (Ensanut, in Spanish) from 2020 to 2023, according to the World Health Organization growth standards. The consumption of energy from added sugar and F+V consumption, were estimated in a subsample (n=4 014). The association between energy consumption from added sugars (as a percentage) and F+V consumption with OW+OB was analysed using logistic regression models. Results. The prevalence of OW+OB was 36.5% in school-children and 40.4% in adolescents. The median percentage of energy consumption from sugars was 12.6%, and the median F+V consumption was 200 g/d. The probability of OW+OB decreased as F+V consumption increased in children with a parent with normal body mass index. The probability of OW+OB increased with a higher percentage of energy from added sugars. Conclusions. In Mexican population aged 5 to 19 years, added sugar consumption is high, while F+V consumption is low, these conditions are related with the high prevalence of OW+OB. Interventions to stop that situation are needed.