A study on Childhood Obesity amongst secondary school children in an urban setting

Vishakha Shinde; Mugdha Desai; Rajashree Naik; Avinash Desousa

Volume : V, Issue : IV, April - 2015

A study on Childhood Obesity amongst secondary school children in an urban setting

Vishakha Shinde, Mugdha Desai, Rajashree Naik, Avinash Desousa

Abstract :

Childhood obesity is on the rise and has reached epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of childhood obesity amongst secondary school children in an urban school cohort of Mumbai. The study was a multi–centred study carried out in secondary schools in an urban area of Mumbai, India. Subjects were selected by cluster sampling and total sample size

was 300. The subjects were assessed for height, weight, BMI and BMI percentile. Obesity and overweight were highest

in the age group 14–17 years and more girls were obese than boys (p = 0.0321). Age cut off of 14 years was not significant for obesity. Age and gender are important demographic indicators for childhood obesity and need to be further explored along with other factors that may contribute to childhood obesity.