Obesity is considered a global pandemic that causes major metabolic changes. It is responsible for the so-called noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs), which report a 60 % mortality rate (WHO, 2017). In Chile, 63 % of the population shows body mass indexes (BMI) of overweight and obesity, with a sedentary level of 86.7 %. The objectives of this work were to determine the anthropometric profiles, metabolic risk, and physical activity levels in primary school teachers, in a subsidized school in Arica, Chile. The teachers (n=41), 12 men, and 29 women were evaluated according to weight, height, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height index (WHI), BMI, Fat Mass (FM), Visceral Fat Mass (VFM) and Muscle Mass (MM). All of them were calculated for metabolic risk, according to Ashwell & Gibson protocols and BMI according to Quetelet's formula. To determine the percentages of FM, MM, and VFM, an electric bioimpedance instrument, Omron HBF-514C, was used. Subsequently, a survey of physical activity level (IPAQ) was applied. The data were analyzed in the IBM SPSS statistic for central tendency, dispersion, counts, and percentages. For correlation, Pearson's test (r> 0.5) was used. The results show that 68.3 % of teachers are overweight and obese. BMI and percentage of VFM are significantly higher in men than in women (30.6 ± 7.0 / 26.9 ± 4.6 and 11.2 ± 5.6 / 7.6 ± 2.5 respectively). The overall metabolic risk of the study population was 58.5 % (75 % and 51.7 % men and women, respectively). There is a high correlation between BMI- VFM (0.84), BMI-WHI (0.84), MM-FM (0.85). Regarding the level of physical activity, only 19.5 % of teachers show a high level of physical activity. It is concluded that teachers have altered anthropometric values that indicate high rates of metabolic risks and low levels of physical activity. Regardless, women have better morphometric indexes in all parameters under study, compared to male teachers. There is a high correlation (r) between body mass index and percentages of visceral fat mass and waist height index. It is suggested to focus on educational interventions according to the healthy life seal, promoting physical activity, and improving eating habits in teachers.

KEY WORDS: Education; Metabolic risk; Anthropometric profile; Electrical Bioimpedance; Sedentary lifestyle.