Incidence in Overweight and Obesity among Schoolchildren, Ahvaz-2010

Background and Objective: With changes in lifestyle, childhood overweight and obesity are most important health problems in both developed and developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren in Ahvaz. Subjects and Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study 1,594 (52.38% male) healthy schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 in Ahvaz were assessed. Height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated for all. They were considered overweight and obese if BMI was >85 and >95 percentile respectively compared to standards. Results: 52.38% were male. Age distribution for 6 to 10 years old was 18, 21.3, 19.9, 20.2, and 20.5% respectively. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 17.7 and 18.8%. Girls had greater risk to be overweight and obese compared to boys (21.74 vs. 16.17%; P=0.001, and 21.08 vs. 14.65 %, P=0.005 respectively). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that prevalence of overweight and obesity is noticeable, especially among girls. Near a hundred percent increase in both overweight and obesity in less than ten years is a warning. Intervention with education and change in habits and feeding behavior are mandatory.