[Childhood obesity and its association with some biological factors in Neishabour school children]

The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide, even in countries where malnutrition is still a public health problem. The present study presents investigates obesity in the students of Neishabour and its associated factors results, focusing on physical activity and sleep duration and their association to childhood obesity. In a cross-sectional study conducted during 2005, a total of 1471 students, aged 6-12 years, were selected by two stage cluster sampling. Height and weight were measured and BMI was calculated. Physical activity information was gathered using the Beacke et al questionnaire with minor modifications. The questionnaire was filled by asking pupils and mothers [sleep duration, the difference between night sleep, and morning wake up times]. Obesity was defined as having a BMI>=95 th percentile of the Iranian reference. Thus, 114 pupils were selected as the case group and the controls [n=102] were chosen from among students having 15 th =

[Prevalence of obesity among school children in Neishabour [2005]]

At present, the prevalence of obesity among children and youngsters is rapidly increasing in developed countries. Few studies have been carried out on childhood obesity in Iran using standard references. Assessing the prevalence of obesity among school children in Neishabour using several references including Iranian reference, CDC 2000 and IOTF 2000. In a cross-sectional trial, 1471 students aged 6-12 were selected by a two-stage cluster sampling. Height and weight of students were measured and BMI was calculated. Obesity was defined as having a BMI?95th percentile of Iranian reference or CDC. Also, the students with BMI greater than IOTF values were identified as obese. Findings: The prevalence of obesity according to the Iranian reference, CDC and IOTF were 8.5% [CI 95%, 7.1-10.0%], 4.6% [CI 95%, 3.5-6.0%], and 7.3% [CI 95%, 6.0-9.0%], respectively. Using CDC reference, a significant difference in prevalence of obesity between girls and boys [5.8% vs. 3.1%] was found [p<0.05]. When the Iranian reference was applied, the prevalence of obesity was shown to be significantly higher in boys aged 7 and 8 compared to girls [15.2% vs. 6.4% and 12.5% vs. 4.0%], respectively [p<0.05]. Finally, the application of IOTF reference produced no significant difference in prevalence of obesity between girls and boys. As the results of different references in determining the prevalence of obesity were not the same, use of relevant BMI percentile is recommended