Obesity and overweight among primary school children

• Main Authors: Farzaneh Esna-Ashari, Mahshid Shafiean, Torkashvand Leila
• Format: Article
• Language: fas
• Published: Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research 2016-02-01
• Series: Payesh
• Subjects: obesity; overweight; children; hamadan; prevalence
• Online Access: http://payeshjournal.ir/article-1-196-en.html

Objective (s): The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated factors among 7- to 12-years old children in Hamedan, Iran, during year 2013. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 795 students (50.6%1 females) aged 7-12years were assessed over a period of 6 months. Multi stage stratified cluster random sampling was used for choosing the sample. Stratification was according to socioeconomic status of students and their sex. The children were subjected to a complete anthropometrics measurement. A questionnaire was also used to obtain information on demographic and some risk factors associated with obesity. Results: The mean age of participants was 9.67 ± 1.55 years. The prevalence of obesity and overweight according to WHO, CDC and IOTF criteria were (15.4% 8.1%), (9.7%, 9.8%) and (5.7%, 13.3%) respectively. There was no significant difference between boys and girls and different age groups in terms of BMI. There was a significant relationship between BMI and birth weight, socioeconomic status and consumption frequency of fast foods. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to target children and young adolescents for obesity prevention.