A Study of Prevalence of Childhood Obesity among School Children in Karimnagar Town

Background: The problem of obesity is confined not only in adults but also among the children and adolescents. The most significant long term consequence of childhood obesity is its persistence into adulthood along with its attendant risks. The surveys on childhood obesity in under surveyed areas help to identify risk factors. Objectives: 1.To study the prevalence of obesity among school children of Karimnagar town. 2. To study the factors associated with obesity. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in schools of Karimnagar town. A total of 892 students were randomly selected belonging to 6th to 10th standard in randomly selected schools. Data was collected in a predesigned questionnaire. The cut off points for age and gender specific BMI recommended by Agarwal et al were used. Statistical analysis: The data was analyzed using chi square test. P value of less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The mean age of study subjects was 13.03+1.52 years. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 11.99% and 2.69% respectively and 14.68% combined together. Out of the factors studied, children belonging to open category (caste), upper social class were found to be significantly associated with obesity (p < 0.05). Other factors were not associated with obesity. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of obesity in the present study is high it is significantly associated with caste and upper social class. There is a need to increase awareness on physical fitness, regular exercise and appropriate dietary habits among children through schools.