PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN IN MADURAI

2016-12-07T00-54-58Z
Source: International Journal of Current Research and Review
Babitha Rexlin G., Sivakumar E., Rajkumar D., Nagendran M..
Aim: The objective is to find the prevalence of obesity among school children aged 6 to 12 years in Madurai and to investigate the factors promoting rise of weight in children. Methodology: It is a cross sectional observational study. The sample size is 2519 children from 2 rural and 2 urban schools. Height is measured by stadiometer and weight by electronic weighing machine. Body Mass Index is calculated and plotted on the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Body Mass Index chart (IAP-BMI) 2015 for boys and girls. Children are classified as underweight, normal, overweight and obese. Factors causing obesity assessed were age, gender, place of residence, birth weight, preterm/term, socio-economic status, Parents BMI, Environmental factors (physical activity, TV/Video gaming duration, Transport to school, Environmental safety), Food habits and sleep pattern. Result: The prevalence of obesity and overweight are 9.3% and 16.8% respectively. Obesity has strong association with the place of residence and socio-economic status (p


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