Prevalence of Obesity And Its Associated Risk Factors Among School Going Adolescents in Semi Urban Area.-A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Obesity is a global epidemic, emerging as a major health challenge in children and adolescents.

Objectives: To study the prevalence and correlation of risk factors for overweight and obesity in school going adolescents between 12 to 17 years of age.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was Conducted at Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan matriculation higher secondary school for a duration of 18 months .After getting permission from the school authorities and Institutional Ethics committee children were included as per inclusion criteria. Measurement of height, weight, and BMI done for all the children between 12 – 17years of age. The obesity is diagnosed as per IAP growth standards, children with BMI above 27th adult equivalent are termed as obese and those between 23rd and 27th adult equivalent are termed as overweight. All children must fill out the structured questionnaire under the guidance of health personnel, to assess various factors which may influence adolescent weight.

Results: The results indicate a high prevalence of overweight (21.6%) and obesity (28.2%), particularly among boys, Variables related to screen time, including watching television and television watching hours showed statistically significant associations with the outcome variable. Among dietary behaviors, type of snacks preferred ,Eating behavior-related factors such as desire to control overeating consuming food while sad or bored ,consuming food as a reward and inappropriate behavior after binging were also significantly associated with the outcome. In contrast, physical activity measures, parental advice, and household-related activities did not demonstrate statistically significant associations .

Conclusion: Obesity is prevalent among adolescents and Screen-related behaviors (television viewing and video gaming) and other emotional eating patterns (eating when bored, reward-based eating, and loss of control over eating) were significantly associated with the outcome variable .In contrast, physical activity, dietary habits, and parental influence did not show statistically significant associations with the outcome .