Publication:

A study to assess the knowledge and attitude of adolescents towards obesity in a private school in Thrissur district Kerala, India

Background Overweight and obesity are 5th leading risks for global deaths. Adolescence is a transitional period, which requires special attention. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has widely increased world-wide, making it one of the most common chronic disorders in this age group. To assess knowledge and attitude of adolescents towards obesity and to assess its associated factors.

Methods This was a descriptive cross sectional study conducted among students of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 in Devamatha public school, Thrissur from May to November 2018. In total there were 179 students. A pretested self administered questionnaire was used to collect data.

Results 46.4% of adolescents had low knowledge on obesity, 46.9 have moderate knowledge, and only 6.7% of them had high knowledge on obesity. 24.6% of adolescents have negative attitude towards obese individuals, 68.2% had neutral attitude and only 7.3% had positive attitude towards obesity. As the age increases, there is increase in knowledge about obesity and positive attitude towards obese individuals. Both knowledge and attitude is better in children belonging to Christian families. Better knowledge and attitude is seen among students who are hostlers than day scholars. Children with better marks in annual exam had better knowledge and attitude towards obesity. Children who had positive family history for obesity have better knowledge and attitude towards obesity.

Conclusions There is a need for targeted activities to improve the knowledge and attitude of the students towards obesity.