Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among School-Going Children of Aligarh City and Its Association with Socio-Demographic Variables

In India, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban areas is comparable with some developing countries. A rapid transition in food practices, lifestyle factors, behavioural factors, physical inactivity and adopting western culture are some of the causes responsible for this problem. Children from small towns are experiencing nutritional changes due to their tendency to try eating pattern of larger cities. Aims and objectives: To study the prevalence of overweight and obesity and related risk factors among school going children of Aligarh city.Materials and methods: A cross - sectional study was done among four schools from four zones of Aligarh city. A total of 900 children studying in classes Ist to Vth were taken in the study. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic, dietary intake, lifestyle, behavioural factors, physical activity and anthropometric measurements. Results: Overall Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 8.1% and 8.2% among school‑going children. There was a statistically significant difference in prevalence of overweight and obesity among affluent schools (6.1% and 6.7%) and nonaffluent schools (2.0% and 1.6%) respectively was observed. The related risk factors for overweight and obesity were affluence and higher level of father’s education etc. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity among school‑going children is a major problem facing even in smaller cities in India.Interventions must be taken to focus on communicating and educating teachers and parents, especially of the affluent section, towards restricting fast food intake, TV viewing and emphasizing the importance of physical activity.