Dietary Pattern and 24-Hours Movement Activities of Urban Preschool Children in Dhaka, Bangladesh-A Pilot Study

Abstract

In emerging nations, the prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight has considerably grown. A cross sectional study was conducted to find out the prevalence of obesity and dietary pattern and 24 hours’ movement activities amid two selected schools (English and Bangla Medium) of Dhaka, Bangladesh. 103 participants aged 4 to 11 years were chosen from those schools to collect data. BMI of the children was calculated, and weight status was categorized according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. Food frequency and 24 hours’ movement activity data was collected through a self-administered well-structured questionnaire. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was found 20.4% and 20.4 % respectively and 5.8% underweight. 70% children spent more than 2 hours’ screen time and 71.8% did not meet WHO sleeping guideline. In this study, it was found that 25.2% children consumed fried food and 20.4% fast food like pizza, burger 2-4 days a week. The frequency of overweight and obesity was found quite high in this study. High levels of sedentary activities, less sleep, higher energy intake from carbohydrate and processed food habit are major underlying elements for increasing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity among the school children in Dhaka, Bangladesh.