Overweight and obesity among children: Assessment of associated factors in a hospital sample from Gampaha

Background: Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Overweight and obese children are at higher risk for developing long-term chronic diseases. With globalization and changing lifestyles, adolescents are exposed to multiple risk factors apart from hereditary risk factors. Obesity and overweight are two such risk factors, early diagnosis which are important to prevent complications associated with them. Objective: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of childhood overweight and obesity among children 5–15 year of age group and to describe certain socio – demographic characteristics related to overweight and obese children. Material and Methods: A Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 5-15-year-old children from Gampaha District who attended the Nutritional Clinic and Pediatric Unit between December 2015 and June 2016. Those who had Body Mass Index (BMI) above 85th centile for age and gender were included to the study. Children with any chronic illness were excluded from the study. Results: A total of 116 children were included. The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 75.5% and 21.8% respectively. Prevalence of central obesity was more in female than male. Waist-hip ratio (WHR) and waist height ratio (WHtR) exhibited an age-dependent decrease for both genders. 23.2% of overweight and 28.6% obese children were found to have either their systolic BP (SBP) or diastolic BP (DBP) more than 95th percentile.