Publication:

Dietary correlates of overweight and obesity among adolescents during the current nutrition transition: a cross sectional study in Kerala

Background Overweight and obesity during childhood is a matter of growing concern among many low and middle income countries. Obesity in the developing world can be seen as a result of a series of changes in diet, physical activity health and nutrition. This is collectively known as ‘nutrition transition.

Methods The present study was conducted in an urban area of Kottayam district in Kerala. The schools were stratified into government, aided and unaided categories. Cluster sampling technique was used and data was collected after informed consent.

Results Obesity and overweight were found to be higher in children who consume butter/ghee, fried local foods, red meat/chicken and pizza/burgers frequently. The factors related to eating behaviour include time for finishing meals, parent force to eat, skipping of breakfast, family eats out and consumption of fast food.

Conclusions Nutritional transition has contributed to the problem of adolescent obesity.