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Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of and factors associated with discrimination self-reported by adolescents. Methods. Cross-sectional analysis of adolescents belonging to a cohort of live births in 1993 in the city of Pelotas, Brazil. From the 5 249 members of the cohort, information was collected from 4 452 adolescents in 2004 and 2005 regarding self-reported discrimination, sociodemographic variables, physical attributes, and nutritional status. A Poisson regression was utilized in the raw and adjusted analyses to estimate prevalence rates (RP). Results. The global prevalence of self-reported discrimination was 16.4%. In the adjusted analysis, discrimination was reported more by the following groups: girls (RP = 1.27, 95%CI: 1.10-1.48), people identified by others as black (RP = 1.28, 95%CI: 1.04-1.57), poorer adolescents (RP = 1.58, 95%CI: 1.23-2.02), those who perceived themselves to be very thin or very fat (RP = 1.81 and 1.54 respectively), those whose families had financial trouble (RP = 1.76, 95%CI: 1.49-2.08), those who wore glasses (RP = 1.74, 95%CI: 1.45-2.10), those who thought their teeth looked bad (RP = 1.58, 95%CI: 1.21-2.07), those who had been reprimanded in school (RP = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.01- 1.51), and those who had been involved in fights in the past year (RP = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.36-1.94). The association between discrimination and nutritional status varied by sex (interaction P = 0.009). Thin children reported greater discrimination than those who were overweight or obese. Discrimination on the basis of obesity was higher among girls, with this effect more strongly felt among rich girls than among poor ones. Conclusions. Self-reported discrimination was prevalent and unequally distributed among the population. Actions to reduce experiences of discrimination must be implemented during the initial stages of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To describe the level of physical activity in adolescents born in 1993 in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, and to evaluate the effect of sociocultural variables on those levels. Methods. A combined ethno-epidemiological methodology was employed. In the epidemiological study, 4 452 adolescents born in 1993 were interviewed. Physical ac- tivity level was evaluated by means of a questionnaire. Adolescents with fewer than 300 minutes of physical activity per week were classified as sedentary. The ethrio- graphic study included 69 adolescents randomly selected from among all cohort par- ticipants. On average, three in-depth interviews were carried out (about one every 6 months), with mothers and adolescents being interviewed separately. Results. The prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle was 48.7% (95%CI: 46.5 to 50.8) in boys and 67.5% (95%CI: 65.6 to 69.5) in girls (P < 0.001). The independent variable pre- senting the strongest association with physical activity level was the weekly fre- quency with which the adolescent met friends outside of school. The ethnographic study showed that boys have more social and family support to engage in physical activities in adolescence, but that many parents associate poor school performance with the amount of time spent outside the home. Conclusions. This study suggests that physical activity is often viewed as compet- ing with family values in adolescence. This perspective should be explored in future studies and discussed with families so that physical activity may be adopted as a cul- tural norm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]