Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Schoolchildren in Bagalkot, India

Introduction : Obesity and overweight have become a worldwide epidemic, children who are obese are more likely to remain obese as adults, perpetuating the obesity epidemic. There is an urgent need to examine adolescent obesity and overweight across countries using a standardized international standard. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of obesity and overweight among adolescents school going children and to determine risk factors associated with obesity. Methodology: This cross- sectional study was conducted among school-going adolescents, of 15–17 years of age. The obesity and overweight were considered using an updated body mass index (BMI) reference, and socio demographic and lifestyle factors were determined using a pre-structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 145 adolescents in the age group of 15–17 years were analyzed. Of these, 91 (62.75%) subjects were males and 54 (37.24%) were females. The mean BMI of the sample was 20.24 kg/m 2 .The overall prevalence of overweight among adolescents was 7 (4.82%) and obesity was 5 (3.44%). No significant gender difference for obesity prevalence was seen among children from a less privileged background however, among children from affluent families, significantly more boys were obese as compared to girls. Conclusion: Preventive and supportive action needs to be taken to curb the problem of obesity among adolescents. Public health interventions at the individual and policy- making levels need to be instigated at the earliest, to tackle this problem in the country. Key words: Adolescents, obesity, overweight