OBESITY

PREVALENCE AMONG BOYS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

Background: The problem of overweight and obesity is not confined only to developed countries but is also widely prevalent in developing countries. The study under report relates to determining prevalence of obesity and overweight in adolescent school boys. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in boys of public and private secondary schools, Faisalabad, and to relate it with their dietary style and physical activity. Study Design: Cross sectional and institutional based study. Methods: A total of 600 school boys of different age groups from the classes 6th to 10th were randomly selected and included for anthropometric measurements to categorize them into normal, overweight and obese individual. Their diet pattern and physical activity records were taken to correlate it with the obesity level. Results: The collected data revealed that 423 (70.5%) boys were normal. Whereas 98 (16.3%) were found to be overweight. Out of these, 72 (24.0%) were from private schools; while 26 (8.7%) were from government schools. Only 6 (2.0%) fell into obese category, and all belonged to private schools. No one was found to be obese in government schools. Mean ± SD weights (kg) in government and private school boys were 50.93 ± 7.18 and 56.34 ± 11.94, respectively whereas mean ± SD heights (m) of government and private schools boys were found to be 1.55 ± 6.64 and 1.56 ± 7.92 respectively. The data was statistically analyzed which exhibited significant relation with weight and BMI value. Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight was significantly higher in boys who ate junk foods and spent more time in watching television and sitting before computers. The findings of this study was found in agreement with certain earlier studies that revealed prevalence of obesity is to be on the increase among the private school boys of the area. It is, therefore, emphasized that regular physical exercise, regulated television viewing, doing household activities, balanced diet and healthy eating habits should be motivated in school children to ensure control of overweight and obesity, in this class of children.