Prevalence of overweight and obesity in affluent adolescent girls in Surat city, western India.

ABSTRACT

Background: Incidence of obesity is increasing day by day because of various factors. It is important to assess the trend of obesity in particular geographical area. Objective: To assess the prevalence of obesity and overweight in affluent schoolgirls aged 13 to 15 years in Surat, India. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2009 to April 2010. From a list of all private schools in Surat, with tuition fees more than Rs. 2,000 per monyh, two schools were selected randomly using a random table. Height and weight was measured and BMI was calculated. Overweight and obesity was assessed by BMI for age. Student who had BMI for age>85th and < 95th percentile of reference population were classified as overweight and BMI for age>95th percentile of reference population were classified as obese (IAP Growth Monitoring Guidelines for Children from Birth to 18 Year). Results: Prevalence of obesity and overweight amongst the study subjects was 6.6% and 13.5% respectively. Conclusion: There is significant prevalence of obesity in affluent schoolgirls in Surat, India.