Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children aged 5-15 years in a rural school in Coimbatore

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is a fast emerging problem in developing countries such as India because of lifestyle changes and economic transition.[1] Childhood overweight and obesity are major risk factors for many chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.[1–4] Effective preventive measures will prevent the risk of developing chronic diseases in adult life. Objective: To study the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children in a rural school in Coimbatore using the WHO standard reference for age 5–19 years. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted along with annual school health check up for the children studying in a rural matriculation school located in Neelambur village, Coimbatore district. A total of 890 school children in the age group 5–15 years enrolled in the study were examined for height and weight, and BMI was calculated. The WHO standard reference for age 5–19 years was used to define overweight (> 2SD) and obesity (> 3SD). Result: In our study, prevalence of overweight was 8.32% and prevalence of obesity was 4.72%. Among boys, prevalence of overweight and obesity was 8.43% and 6.43%, respectively. Among girls, prevalence of overweight and obesity was 8.20% and 2.96%, respectively. There is no statistical significant difference in the prevalence of overweight/obesity among boys and girls. Conclusion: A high proportion of Rural School children in our study are having weight more than their normal weight, indicating the need for public awareness and preventive measures on childhood obesity. Intervention in the form of health education should be initiated at all levels of society to stop the progression of the problem.