The Rising trend of obesity among secondary school children of rural background

ABSTRACT

Background: Earlier obesity was a disease of the affluent but with changing trend, moderniza?on, sedentary lifestyles overweight/ obesity is increasing in the rural popula?on too. Children of the present genera?on are prone to obesity which will hamper life in the future. Scien?fic evidence shows that unhealthy diet and physical inac?vity are major global determinants of non-communicable diseases. Aim & Objec?ves To es?mate the prevalence of obesity, to study the life style factors and to analyze the socio-demographic factors that influence obesity. Materials & Methods:A crosssec?onal study was carried out in 400 children between the age group of 12–15 years. Informed consent was obtained from school authori?es to collect informa?on from the children. Height and weight were measured using standard procedure and BMI (kg/m) was calculated. Overweight and obesity was assessed by BMI following the WHO guidelines. The ques?onnaire assessed life style, physical ac?vity, dietary habits and socio-demographic data. Results:Prevalence of obesity was 25.2% (101 children). The sta?s?cally significant (p<0.05) factors which influenced obesity was transport to school, physical ac?vity, watching television while ea?ng, consump?on of ready made food items, ea?ng in between meals and the socioeconomic status. Conclusion:The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 25.2% as per the BMI (WHO) classifica?on. Use of motor transport, lack of physical ac?vity and sedentary life are major factors.