Socio-behavioral Determinants of Overweight and Obesity in Egyptian Primary School Children

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess socio-behavioral factors of overweight and obesity in primary Egyptian school children such as: residence, type of school, parent education, entertainment and dietary behaviors. Methods: The study was cross sectional and was conducted from May 2013 to August 2014 in Menoufia governorate in Egypt. 354 children aged 8-12 years brought consent from parents to participate and were enrolled in the study. The BMI percentile for students was calculated using a percentile online calculator. Results: The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity was 23.7% and 19.5% respectively. The most important predictors to overweight and obesity in the students were eating restaurant food at least twice weekly, TV watching more than 2 hours per day, mother employment and pocket money. Conclusion: Values for overweight and obesity in our study have approached the developed world high values. The most important risk factors for obesity and overweight in the developing societies that should be targeted by policy makers are restaurant foods, TV watching, mother employment and pocket money.