&lt;b&gt;Food behaviors and youth obesity in Pakistan&lt;/b&gt; - doi: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v35i2.11885

Anjum Hashmi,Khalid Saleem,Jamil Ahmed Soomro

doi:10.4025/actascihealthsci.v35i2.11885

Abstract

The epidemic of obesity took off from about 1980 and in almost all countries has been rising inexorably ever since. Only in 1997 did world health organization accept that this was a major public health problem. It is also becoming an important public health problem among Pakistani children due to changes in life style and other factors. The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity and its concomitant health risks justify widespread efforts toward prevention. A Cross-sectional study was conducted to elaborate the various types of foods and change in eating behavior leading to abnormal weight gain among the youth. A total of 504 male and female students of class six to ten were selected through simple random sampling. Anthropometric measurements were done with calibrated instruments using the age and sex specific BMI cut off points according to World Health Organization growth reference. Results showed significant proportion of girls (86%) and boys (85%) had abnormal waist to hip ratio. The determinants of the obesity lie within the rapid changes in food intake behavior and lifestyle patterns which had a clear and significant impact on the prevalence of obesity in youth of Pakistan.

Highlights

The epidemic of obesity took off from about 1980 and in almost all countries has been rising inexorably ever since
In 1997 did World Health Organization accept that this was a major public health problem and, even there was no accepted method for monitoring the problem in children
Food Behaviors and Youth Obesity interviewed by trained data collectors through diet questionnaires

Summary

Introduction

The epidemic of obesity took off from about 1980 and in almost all countries has been rising inexorably ever since. In 1997 did World Health Organization accept that this was a major public health problem and, even there was no accepted method for monitoring the problem in children. It was soon evident, that the optimum population body mass index is about 21(JAMES, 2008). Coexisting with undernutrition in developing countries, obesity is a major. Health Sciences contributor to chronic disease, and will become a serious healthcare burden especially in countries with a larger percentage of youthful population (COLLISON et al, 2010)

Methods

Results

Conclusion