Publication:

A study on prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst school children of Bangalore

Background As such, obesity and overweight have both been described as anomalous accumulation of excessive body fat which may be harmful to health. Obesity is one of the most prominent problems imminent among all societies, particularly in developing countries. Often these conditions lead to complications such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and if not treated timely, death. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst school children of Bangalore and to study the association of age and gender with overweight and obesity amongst school children of Bangalore.

Methods School based cross sectional study was conducted at B.G.S International school, from August to December 2017. Students aged 6 to 16, who were present during the survey, were included in the study.

Results Overall, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the students were 7.09% and 4.08%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst boys were 3.19% and 2.04%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst girls were 3.90% and 2.04%.

Conclusions Integrating physical activity and nutrition education in school curriculum at all levels will play a great part in decreasing the prevalence of obesity and overweight.