Abstract

"Abstract: School age is a significant period of human life. It is the segment of life span that extends from age 6 to12years. This is a time of gradual growth and development with steadier and more even progress in both physical and emotional aspects. Children develop a taste for a variety of high-calorie foods, combined with the tendency toward more sedentary activities, have contributed to an epidemic of childhood overweight. It is a serious handicap to the social life of a child. Obesity refers to the state of weighing more than average for height and body built. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive- cross sectional study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of obesity in school children at selected schools , Nellore District Andhra Pradesh. The sample size was 200 school going children and the Non-probability convenience sampling technique was used for selection. of subjects. Prevalence of obesity was determined by measuring HT and WT & B.M.I classification. Semi structured questionnaire was used to assess the dietary and physical activity .Results: .Findings show that among 200 children 20% (40) are normal 35.5%(71) were overweight and 44.5% (89) were obese. Term maturity and dietary pattern showed significant association with the prevalence of obesity. Conclusion: the study concludes that prevalence of obesity is high among school children children , Dietary habits and physical activity have significant association with prevalence of obesity."

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