scholarly journals A cross sectional study on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in affluent school children of central Kerala

Author(s):  
Jaya Koothupalakkal Viswambharan ◽  
Ruth Abraham

Background: Childhood obesity is increasing in India in recent years. The recent economic development and nutritional transition has been attributed to the increase in childhood obesity. Obesity in childhood predisposes to many cardiovascular/endocrinal problems in later years of life. This problem is taking an epidemic lever in Kerala too. Objective was to assess the prevalence of obesity among affluent school children in Thrissur.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 1104 private school children in Thrissur, Kerala, South India between November 2019 to October 2020. Prior permission to conduct the study was obtained from the respective authorities. Parent assent was obtained. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. Anthropometric measurements- height and weight were measured using the standard methods prescribed in the World Health Organization STEPwise approach to surveillance (WHO-STEPS) field manual.Bodymass index (BMI) was calculated and classified as per WHO guidelines for their respective ages.Results: 13.9% were overweight and 7.3% were obese. The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was 21.2%. Prevalence of obesity and overweight was 23.7% among boys and 18.2% among girls. The prevalence of overweight and obesity increases with age.Conclusions: Appropriate preventive measures like change in food habits and life style practices, increasing physical activities, health education for parents and children, needs to be taken. 

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Marcella Evangelista Melo ◽  
Giovanna Lima Miguéis ◽  
Mikaela Silva Almeida ◽  
Tatiane Dalamaria ◽  
Wagner De Jesus Pinto ◽  
...  

Introduction: In the diagnosis of overweight and obesity based on body mass index in children and adolescents, several national and international anthropometric references are recommended. However, there is a divergence in the estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity among the references. Objective: To identify the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to analyse the magnitude of agreement among the three references. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 975 students from the early grades of elementary school. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were estimated according to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and Conde and Monteiro. The Kappa weighted index was calculated to assess the agreement magnitude among the three references. Results: The highest prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated by the Conde and Monteiro and WHO references, respectively. Overall, the IOTF revealed lower a magnitude of prevalence than the two other references. The agreement among the references identified by the Kappa index had a range of 0.66 to 0.94. Conclusion: Despite the satisfactory agreement among the three references, this research highlighted the differing magnitudes of the prevalence of overweight and obesity. This fact limits the ability to make comparisons among populations and impairs the development of overweight and obesity prevention actions.


Mediscope ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-107
Author(s):  
Md Abul Hasanat ◽  
Silvia Paroi ◽  
Arifa Begum ◽  
Umme Salma ◽  
Syeda Farzana Yeasmin

Background: Medical education is stressful throughout the whole course. Due to the medical curriculum and the examination pattern leads to psychological stress. Stressful condition leads to irregularity in diet, frequent fast food consumption & lack of exercise, each being considered as an important risk factor leading to overweight and obesity. Hence, this study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of obesity, overweight and weight awareness among the medical students. Objectives: Determination of BMI status of undergraduate medical students to evaluate their weight awareness, prevalence of overweight and obesity and also find out the relationship of the following risk factors with obesity & overweight; i) Opinion about self-image, ii) Physical activity and iii) Frequency of fast food consumption. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted on 131 preclinical medical students of Ad-din Akij Medical College, Khulna from January 2018 to April 2018. Height and weight of 131 preclinical students were measured and Body Mass Index was calculated and categorized according to WHO criteria. Results: Out of 131 students 62% come under normal weight category, 21% come under overweight category, 10% come under obese category and 7% come under underweight category. Conclusion: Overweight is a rising problem among the medical students. Sedentary life style and frequency of fast food consumption was high among the overweight and obese students. This study itself created awareness about their weight and promote physical activity among the medical students. Mediscope Vol. 7, No. 2: July 2020, Page 103-107


2011 ◽  
Vol 01 (04) ◽  
pp. 16-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keerthan Kumar M. ◽  
Prashanth K. ◽  
Kavya Elizabeth Baby ◽  
Kavya Rashmi Rao ◽  
Kumarkrishna B. ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: The aim of this project is to find out the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the high school children in selected schools of Mangalore and Manipal and also to study the association of obesity with different factors like Age, Sex, Physical activity etc. Methods: Cross sectional Study which included 500 participants from 10 selected schools in Udupi and D.K districts. 50 students were rd included from each school on the basis of 1 in 5 choosing every 3rd student. In schools with lesser attendance all were included. Following which they were explained the details about the study. Then their height and weight were recorded using standard measurements and the data was collected using the questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of obesity and overweight was found to be 2.6% and 3.0% respectively. Prevalence was found to be higher in males, those studying in private schools, staying in nuclear family, consuming fried foods-aerated drinks regularly and in those who do not exercise regularly. Conclusions: Childhood obesity is a major public health problem globally because of changes in lifestyle.


2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 996-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Dastgiri ◽  
Reza Mahdavi ◽  
Helda TuTunchi ◽  
Elnaz Faramarzi

AbstractAimTo document the epidemiological features and influencing factors of obesity in the north-west of Iran, to provide baseline information for setting up a regional population-based centre to control and prevent obesity-related disorders in the area.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, a total of 300 subjects were selected/studied in Tabriz, one of the major cities in Iran. Data on basic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, dietary assessment and physical activity were collected. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 30 kg m− 2for both women and men.ResultsTotal prevalence of obesity in the area was 22.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 18.0–27.6). The prevalence of obesity was 24% (95% CI: 18.5–31.4) for women and 18% (95% CI: 12.5–25.6) for men. For both women and men obesity prevalence showed a positive association with age (P < 0.001), while there was a negative correlation of obesity with education and income (P < 0.001). Fruit consumption decreased the risk of obesity in both women and men (odds ratio (OR) = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.49–0.71 vs. OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.51–0.74, respectively). The same significant pattern was observed for the consumption of green vegetables (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.57–0.63 vs. OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77–0.98 for women and men, respectively), legumes (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.59–0.84 vs. OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.66–0.91 for women and men, respectively) and dairy products (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.61–0.91 vs. OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.63–0.93 for women and men, respectively).ConclusionsOur study showed that educational attainment, higher income and consumption of certain food groups (i.e. vegetables, fruits, legumes and dairy products) may decrease the risk of obesity. Our findings also indicate the crucial necessity of establishing a population-based centre for obesity in the area. The essential information is now achieved to propose to local health authorities to act accordingly. However, more population-based investigations on dietary choices are needed to develop effective preventive strategies to control overweight and obesity disorders in different regions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-39
Author(s):  
Abdullah Al-Taiar ◽  
Nawal Alqaoud ◽  
Ali H. Ziyab ◽  
Faheema Alanezi ◽  
Monica Subhakaran ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: This study aimed to examine age-specific trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren in Kuwait over a 13-year period (2007 to 2019) using the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) definitions. Design: Using cross-sectional approach, Kuwait Nutrition Surveillance System (KNSS) objectively measured weight and height of schoolchildren over a 13-year period. Log-binomial regression models were used to examine age-specific trends of obesity and overweight over the study period. Setting: Public primary, middle, and high schools in all provinces of Kuwait. Participants: Schoolchildren aged 5-19 years (N 172 603) Results: According to the WHO definition, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren respectively increased from 17.73% and 21.37% in 2007 to 20.19% and 28.39% in 2019 (P for trends<0.001). There is evidence that the obesity in females (but not males) has levelled off in the period 2014-2019 according to the three definitions of obesity, which is corroborated by a similar trend in the mean of BMI-for-age Z score. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity and overweight in schoolchildren in Kuwait has risen over the last 13 years and trends are similar across all definitions. Obesity is no longer increasing at the same pace and there is evidence that the prevalence of obesity in females has plateaued. The current level of childhood overweight and obesity is too high and requires community-based and school-based interventions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 938
Author(s):  
Halak J. Vasavada ◽  
Snehal V. Patel ◽  
Purvi R. Patel ◽  
Heli S. Mehta

Background: A school is a key location for educating adolescents about health, hygiene and nutrition. Adolescence is period of critical development and transition. These changes have important implications for health. Aims and objectives of the stud was to study the role of WHR in nutritional assessment in adolescent school children and compare it with BMI as an assessment tool and to study nutritional status of municipal and private school.Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted in 10-17-year-old school children in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. There were 2 private and 2 municipal schools selected randomly by purposive sampling. Child absent or not well on the day of study were excluded.Results: Incidence of obesity is 42.9% and 57.1% in municipal and private school respectively. Incidence of overweight is 47.2% and 52.8% in municipal and private schools respectively. (2.9%) adolescents had BMI range of 25-29.9 which is considered to be overweight. However, the percentage of overweight and obese was raised at 28% and 23.5% respectively when classified as per WHR.Conclusions: The difference between incidence of overweight and obesity in private and municipal schools were not statistically significant. A combination of increase BMI with increase WHR is a stronger indicator of increase health risk.


2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (242) ◽  
pp. 868-871
Author(s):  
Alisha Thapa ◽  
Susmita Nepal ◽  
Garima Malla ◽  
Sushma Pokhrel

 Introduction: Childhood obesity, caused due to excessive fat accumulation, is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths associated with several non-communicable diseases. In Nepal, there is limited data available on the status of overweight and obesity among school children. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of childhood overnutrition among school going children in a municipality. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2019 to July 2019, in four schools of a municipality selected by simple random sampling. Ethical approval was obtained from Nepal Health Research Council (Registration number 380/2019). Data was collected using census sampling from children aged 5-18 years through self-administered questionnaires to the children’s parents. The data was entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences for analysis. Point estimate at 95% confidence interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. Results: Out of 379 school children, the prevalence of overnutrition was found to be 38 (10.03%) (95% Confidence Interval= 7.01-13.05). Prevalence of overnutrition was highest in children of age group 10-13 years 23 (60.5%), in females 27 (71.1%), those consuming junk food 4-6 times weekly 14 (36.8%) and those performing daily physical activity less than 60 minutes 24 (63.2%). Conclusions: The prevalence of childhood overnutrition is similar in comparison to other studies done in similar settings.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document