[The family dysfunction as a risk factor of obesity in Mexican school children].

Background: it has been demonstrated that children obesity is a multifactorial disease and probably, the alteration of the family dynamic is another potential risk factor. The objective was to identify the association between obesity and family dysfunction in school children who attend to a family medicine unit.

Methods: case and control study at Mexican Social Security Institute in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Sociodemographic factors and family dynamic of obese and non-obese subjects (n = 452) of six to nine years old from nuclear families were achieved.

Results: the association between family dysfunction and obesity was [OR = 1.63 (1.08-2.46), p = 0.01]. Area II, Identity formation, and area VI, Discipline and methods, showed a lower score in cases of children with obesity (p < 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively). In a logistic regression model family dysfunction [RM 1.79 (1.19, 2.71), p = 0.005] and low literacy of mothers [RM 1.61 (1.06, 2.45), p = 0.02)] were risk factors for obesity in school children.

Conclusions: the results showed an association between family dysfunction and obesity in school children. We suggest to consider it in the prevention of obesity in Mexican school children.