Survey of obesity and the effect of comprehensive intervention in primary and secondary school students in Chengdu City / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the obesity of primary and secondary school students in Chengdu City, and to analyze the effects of comprehensive intervention. Methods A total of 1 500 children in Jinniu District of Chengdu were selected for health check-ups. Questionnaires were distributed to children and their parents to investigate the incidence of obesity and analyze the risk factors. Obese children were randomly divided into a control group and an intervention group. The control group was given routine health education while the intervention group was given comprehensive management intervention. The obesity indicators and compliance were compared between the two groups. Results Among 1 500 children, there were 192 obese children. Multivariate logistics regression analysis showed that males (OR=1.881, P<0.05), fetal macrosomia (OR=1.790, P<0.05), premature infants (OR=2.261, P<0.05), parental obesity (OR=1.774, P<0.05), eating midnight snack (OR=3.943, P<0.05), fast eating speed (OR=2.980, P<0.05), addiction to meats such as pigs/chickens/bovines (OR=1.956, P<0.05), addiction to fried foods (OR=1.662, P<0.05), addiction to desserts (OR=2.361, P<0.05), liking eating sugary drinks (OR=1.547, P<0.05), lack of exercise (OR=2.428, P<0.05) and parental cognition towards body shape of children (OR=14.629, P<0.05) were risk factors for childhood obesity. After intervention for risk factors of obesity, the levels of obesity indexes in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before intervention (P<0.05), and the levels of obesity in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The rate of compliance in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Male gender, fetal macrosomia, premature infants, parental obesity, eating midnight snack, fast eating speed, addiction to meats such as pigs/chickens/bovines, fried foods, desserts and sugary drinks, lack of exercise and parental thinking of moderate body shape of children were risk factors for obesity in primary and secondary school students in Chengdu. The implementation of comprehensive interventions can help obese students lose weight.