OBESITY AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN: AN EMERGING THREAT IN CENTRAL INDIA

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:
Dr. Garima Namdev,
Ganga Aashram,
Near District Hospital, Sehore.
Email: namdevgarima50@gmail.com

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Obesity in children and adolescents is rapidly reaching epidemic proportions globally as well as in India. It is a well-recognized risk factor for adult obesity, which in turn may be the basis of various chronic diseases. So, by preventing the development of obesity in childhood can reduce the likelihood of obesity in adulthood and its health consequences. AIMS & OBJECTIVES: To find out the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children in Bhopal city. MATERIAL & METHODS: STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional descriptive study. STUDY POPULATION: Students studying in IX, X, XI, XII class in government and private schools of Bhopal STUDY PERIOD: July 2012-June 2014 (24 Months) SAMPLING PROCEDURE: Multistage simple random sampling method was used to select schools from a list obtained by Ministry of education. Total 38 schools were chosen to fulfill the sample size, in which 120 students from each school were included under study. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION: Data was collected by taking anthropometric measurements like body weight, height, BMI (Body mass index), WC (waist circumference). RESULTS: In present study, 256 (5.6%) students were overweight and 46 (1.0%) were obese. Total 2505 (55.0%) of students have waist circumferences between 70 to 85 cm, whereas only 187(4.0%) students have waist circumference more than 85 cm. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 5.6% and 1.0% respectively among school children. It was more common in girls and among students of private schools.

KEYWORDS: Overweight, Obesity, Body mass index, Waist circumference.