Sivakumar C. P1, Jose Joseph2, Manjula V. D3
BACKGROUND
Childhood obesity is emerging as a serious public health problem among low and middle-income countries. Overweight and obese children are likely to stay obese into adulthood. They are more likely to develop non-communicable diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. So early intervention is very important.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted in an urban area of Kottayam district in Kerala. The schools were stratified as Government, Aided and Unaided Schools. Cluster sampling technique was adopted and data was collected after informed consent using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire and analysed in SPSS vs 16.
RESULTS
The prevalence of obesity as per the present study was 5.1% and the prevalence of overweight was 10.8%. The Demographic and Social factors associated with Childhood obesity were Age, Birth order, Socioeconomic status and Family history of diabetes mellitus.
CONCLUSION
This study concludes that the prevalence of obesity and overweight are increasing in urban area. Lifestyle transition and economic improvement have contributed to the problem of adolescent obesity.
