Relationship between nutritional status and socioeconomic level in homes of high school adolescents in Reynosa, Tamaulipas

Abstract

Introduction. Socioeconomic level (SES) is an indicator related to nutritional status. Objective. To relate nutritional status and SES in homes of adolescents from a public high school in Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Materials and methods. This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study, the sample consisted of 263 adolescents from high school in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Anthropometric measurements were made such as weight, height, waist circumference. For nutritional diagnosis, the BMI z score (weight and height) was calculated. To determine cardiovascular risk (CVR), waist circumference and waist/height ratio were used. To identify SES, the survey of the Mexican Association of Market Research Agencies was applied. It was categorized as: Low (D+, D, E), medium (C+, C, C-) and high (A/B). For the bivariate analysis between anthropometric characteristics and SES, they were dichotomized into ``Higher SES{''} (high) and ``Lower SES{''} (low- medium). Results. A combined prevalence of overweight and obesity of 37,3\% was observed. 30,0\% had a high CVR, 80,6\% were categorized as having a medium SES, while 8,7\% had a low level. No association was observed between SES and nutritional status (p=0,362). Adolescents with a higher SES had up to 84,0\% higher probability of CVR+. Conclusions. Although no direct relationship was found between SES and nutritional status, it was observed that a higher SES increased the probability of CVR+. Efforts beyond the monetary are necessary, which include behavioral aspects that allow adolescents to adopt healthier behaviors.