Abstract
Objective: To investigate in schoolchildren the prevalence of pre-obesity, obesity and associated healthy and unhealthy practices. Methods: A questionnaire was applied to each participant containing sociodemographic variables, healthy and unhealthy behaviors and anthropometry. Descriptive statistics were used from the “n” and proportions, as well as association analyzes from the chi-square test, adopting significance p <0.05. The study was approved by CEP-UFPI. Results: The study included 255 students, aged 10 to 17 years, enrolled in urban and rural schools in the municipality. The prevalence of overweight was 20.0%. Most teens said they had meals in front of the screens, just as most said they did not replace main meals with snacks. Most reported soda consumption, regardless of nutritional status. The most active adolescents have adequate nutritional status, and most adolescents reported physical activity. Conclusion: Although most had adequate nutritional status, the prevalence of overweight was close to that found in the literature. It is noteworthy that rural students had a higher prevalence of overweight.