Childhood obesity prevalence among primary schoolboys at Al-Iskan sector, Holy Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Journal Title: International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health - Year 2014, Vol 3, Issue 2
Abstract
Background: Obesity is one of the most common disorders encountered in clinical practice and has major public health implications. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity among Saudi school children is a cause of concern, as obesity is associated with several complications that increase both morbidity and mortality. Aims & Objective: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children between 6 - 12 years as well as to identify the associated unhealthy d ietary habits for overweight and obesity. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted including representative sample of primary schoolboys in Al - Iskan sector in Makkah Almukarramah. The sample size was distributed among the three primary school in Al - Iskan sector and determined as a percentage proportionally related to the total number of the student in each school. Self - administered questionnaire (with family help) including socio - demographic characteristic and detailed dietary history, w as used for data collection. Trained staff collected anthropometric measurements of weight and height. Results: The study included 258 male primary school children. Their age ranged between 6 and 12 years. The prevalence of overweight was12.4% and that of obesity was 20.2%. Among studied socio - demographic variables associated with overweight and obesity, birth weight above normal was significantly associated with them (p<0.05) while among studied dietary factors, eating fried potatoe s and chocolate at a rat e more than normal was significantly associated with overweight and obesity among male school children. The habit of eating fast foods frequently (at least three times/week) was accompanied with higher prevalence of obesity (30.4%) compared t o only 8% amon g school children who did not eat fast foods. This association between BMI and habit of eating fast foods was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the current study provide alarming evidence - based data on the considerable prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity among primary school children in Al - Iskan sector, Holly Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It highlights the significant association between some unhealthy dietary habits and increase prevalence of childhood obesity such a s excessive eating of fried potatoes, chocolate and frequent fast meals
Authors and Affiliations
Jassir Abdullah
Keywords
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- EP ID EP153491
- DOI 10.5455/ijmsph.2013. 0 6 11 2013 1
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