Families’ influence on severe childhood obesity in Turkey

Abstract

Abstract Background Childhood obesity is increasing in Turkey like all countries on the world. Sociocultural and environmental factors play very important roles in increasing childhood obesity. It is aimed to find out the prevalence of severe obesity and related factors in Turkey. Methods Turkey conducted Childhood Obesity Surveillance of WHO European Region in 2016. This cross-sectional epidemiologic study was representative for Turkey, the anthropometric measurements of 11523 children in 580 primary schools were taken by health care professionals, analyzed by using WHO criteria. Logistic regression model taking into account complex sample design was used to analyze to find out the factors affecting severe obesity. Results The prevalence of severe obesity was found as 2.8% in the children aged 6 to 9 years old. Severe obesity was found significantly 1.86 times higher in male children than female children (p = 0,002); 1.65 times higher in children whose mothers' overweighed (p = 0.01) and 3.50 much higher in children whose mothers' obese than normal weighted mothers (p < 0.001); 2.21 times higher in children whose fathers' overweighed (p < 0.001) and 2.72 times higher in children whose fathers' obese than normal weighted fathers (p < 0.001); 1.40 times higher in children whose mothers graduated from high school (p < 0.001) and 2.04 times higher whose mothers graduated from university than mothers graduated from primary school (p = 0.04); 0.58 times lower in children having families with three or more children under 18 living in the household (p = 0.03) and 1.83 times higher in children who had relatives with diabetes and high cholesterol history (p = 0.03). Conclusions This is the first result on severe childhood obesity in Turkey; the percentage is one of the highest rates in Europe. The significant factors affecting severe obesity were found as overweighed and obese parents, higher educated mothers, small family size and having family members with the diseases related to obesity. Key messages Family structure and family lifestyle are found as the main social factors related to severe obesity in Turkey. Especially, mothers need more information on the health problem related to severe childhood obesity, also healthy eating behaviors.