A STUDY OF FACTORS RELATED TO OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN ADOLESCENTS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN URBAN AREAS OF LUCKNOW DISTRICT

Dr. Dinesh Chandra Pandey; Dr. Jaigam Abbas; Dr. Anand Kr Agrawal; Dr.Ashish Verma; Dr.Abhishek Arun

Volume : V, Issue : IX, September - 2015

A STUDY OF FACTORS RELATED TO OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN ADOLESCENTS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN URBAN AREAS OF LUCKNOW DISTRICT

Dr. Dinesh Chandra Pandey, Dr. Jaigam Abbas, Dr. Anand Kr Agrawal, Dr. Ashish Verma, Dr. Abhishek Arun

Abstract :

Background: The increasing existence of overweight and obesity; especially among adolescents is alarming and it becomes a serious public health challenge. Obesity among adolescents not only causes several complications in adolescence and future transformation of adulthood obesity but it also impairs the economic development of the country. Due to rapid urbanization and life style modification adolescent obesity is also a concern in developing countries like India. So an observational, cross–sectional study was conducted among adolescents in an urban community of Lucknow District. Material and Methods: Considering the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in the urban area as 21%, 95% confidence interval and 5% absolute error sample size was calculated as 266. Adding 10% non response, the total number came to 300. Sample was calculated as population proportion to size for each ward. Sample was collected by simple random sampling technique from house list of each ward of the municipality. Results: Prevalence of overweight/obesity among the study subjects was 30% and consumption of fast food, sedentary life style, higher socio economic status, consumption of alcohol and residing in a nuclear family were identified as risk factors of adolescent overweight and obesity. Conclusion: School based intervention like nutritional education regarding healthy eating and physical activity, increase awareness about the impact of away from home eating on weight management at family level and changes in social environment should be emphasized for the long term success of prevention of obesity.