Abstract

WHO predicts that ∼2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese by 2015. Overweight and obesity have become major public health concerns in Mexico, reaching epidemic proportions among adults, adolescents and children in recent years. According to data from the most recent National Nutrition and Health Examination Survey (NNHES, 2006), Mexican youth have experienced a 7.7% increase in the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity (overall prevalence rate of 26.3% for both, NNHES, 2006). This study examined trends in overweight and obesity prevalence based on body mass index of the nutrition freshmen attending Veracruzana University from 2007 to 2009. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 271 nutrition freshmen attending classes during academic years 2007, 2008 and 2009, which represented 86% of overall sampling frame. BMI was grouped into 4 categories with the corresponding adolescent percentiles as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and American Academy of Paediatrics and used to determine age- and sex-specific prevalence rates for overweight and obesity. Appropriate institutional ethics committee clearance and participants' informed consent were obtained. BMI-based nutritional classification showed an overall prevalence rate of 15.86% overweight and 3% obesity among freshmen for three academic years. The higher prevalence rates were 21% of overweight for 2007 and 4% of obesity for 2009. This study highlights the higher prevalence rate of overweight and lower prevalence rate of obesity among University youth and suggests an observed trend comparable to the NNHES.