A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Prevalence & Factors influencing Obesity, Overweight, and Underweight Among School Children in Mangalore
Keywords:
Childhood obesity, overweight, underweight, school children, BMI, dietary habits, physical activity, socioeconomic status, IndiaAbstract
Background:
Childhood obesity is an emerging public health concern, coexisting with undernutrition in developing countries like India. This study aims to assess the prevalence and factors influencing obesity, overweight, and underweight among school children aged 10–15 years in Mangalore, with a comparative analysis of private and government schools.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,023 school children, selected randomly from government and private schools in urban and rural settings. Data on socioeconomic status, dietary habits, physical activity, and lifestyle factors were collected using structured questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. BMI was categorized using WHO BMI-for-age standards, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 16, with a Chi-square test and multivariate regression analysis applied to determine significant associations.
Results:
The overall prevalence of obesity, overweight, and underweight was 5.2%, 10.53%, and 24.72%, respectively. Obesity was significantly higher among private school children (7.88%) and urban residents (7.89%), whereas underweight was more prevalent among government school children (31.24%) and rural residents (30.92%) (p < 0.0001). Junk food consumption >2 times/week, sedentary screen time >2 hours/day, and lower physical activity were strongly associated with obesity (p < 0.0000001). Underweight was linked to lower socioeconomic status, inadequate calorie intake, and maternal unemployment (p < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
The study highlights the dual burden of malnutrition, with rising obesity and overweight in affluent urban children and persistent undernutrition among low-income groups. Dietary habits, sedentary behavior, physical activity, and socioeconomic factors play a crucial role in BMI variations. Targeted interventions focusing on balanced nutrition, increased physical activity, and lifestyle modifications are essential to address this growing public health issue.
Downloads
References
World Health Organization; preventing chronic diseases, a vital investment. World global report, Geneva 2005:199-205
Indian children. Available from: http://www.unicef.org/india/children_2356.htm. Accessed on 16th June, 2013
Wang G, Dietz W H. Economic burden of obesity in youths aged 6 to 17 years: Paediatric 2002; 109: P81-1
Mo-suwan L, Junjana C, Puetpaiboon A. Increasing obesity in school children in a transitional society and the effect of the weight control program. Southeast Asian J Trop Public Health 1993; 24: 590-4.
Chhatwal J, Verma M, Riar SK. Obesity among pre-adolescent and adolescents of a developing country (India). Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2004;13: 231-5.
Mahajan P B,Purty A J, Singh Z, Cherian J et al; Study of childhood obesity among school children aged 6-12 years in union territory of Puducherry; IJCM 2011: 36(1): 45-50
Kumar S, Kotian S, Kotian M. Prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity among adolescent school children of South Karnataka, India. Indian Journal of Community Medicine 2010;35(1):176-8.
Manu r and Krishna k. Obesity in children and adolescents. Review article., IJMR, Nov 2010; 132:598-607
World Health Organization; Media centre; obesity and overweight; Accessed on 23/08/2011. www.who.int.
Strauss RS, Pollack HA. Epidemic Increase in Childhood Overweight, 1986-1998. JAMA. 2001;286 (22):2845-2848.
Saraswathi Y S, Najafi M, Gangadhar M R, and Suttur S M. Prevalence of childhood obesity in school from rural and urban areas in Mysore, Karnataka, India; J Life Sci, 2011: 3(1): 51-55.
WHO Expert Committee. Physical Status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry. WHO Technical Report Series, No. 854; 439-452.
Naidu A P, Rao N P. Body mass index: a measure of the nutritional status in Indian populations. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1994: 48(3):131-40.
Cole TJ, Flegal KM, Nicholls D, Jackson AA. Body mass index cut offs to define thinness in children and adolescents: international survey. BMJ. 2007; 335(7612): 194-198.
Kulkarni A.P., Baride J.P Social Classification. Text Book of Community Medicine, 3rd edition, Vora Medical Publication :2006:29-31.
Dietary Guidelines for Indians, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderbad.1998.
Kaneria Y, Singh P, Sharma DC.Prevalence of overweight and obesity in relation to socio economic conditions in two different groups of school age children of Udaipur city(Rajasthan). Indian Journal of Community. Medicine; 2006;7:135-5.
Jain S, Pant B,Chopra H, Tiwari R . Obesity among Adolescents of Affluent Public School in Meerut. Indian Journal of Public Health September 2010:54:158-160.
Kumar S, Kotian S, Kotian M. Prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity among adolescent school children of South Karnataka, India. Indian Journal of Community Medicine 2010;35(1):176-8.
Tarek TA, Ali Ibrahim, Ayub A. Overweight and obesity and their association with dietary Habits and sociodemographic Charactristics among Male School Children in AL-Hassa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia..
.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
