Volume 77, Issue 12 (March 2020)
Tehran Univ Med J 2020, 77(12): 781-785 |
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Momeni M, Amirmijani E, Safizadeh H. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in preschool children in Kerman: brief report. Tehran Univ Med J 2020; 77 (12) :781-785
URL: http://tumj.tums.ac.ir/article-1-10220-en.html
URL: http://tumj.tums.ac.ir/article-1-10220-en.html
1- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
2- Student Research Committee, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
3- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. ,hsafizade@kmu.ac.ir
2- Student Research Committee, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
3- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. ,
Abstract: (2279 Views)
Background: Today, overweight and obesity are major health concerns in developed and developing countries. Meanwhile, the issue is particularly important in children due to its consequences in adulthood. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of overweight and obesity in preschool children in Kerman, Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from December to March of 2016 among 731 preschool children (5 to 6 years old) who were selected using convenience sampling. The nutritional status of children was assessed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) expert committee guideline and based on body mass index (BMI) curves for age for boys and girls. Data were analyzed by SPSS software, version 21 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Chi-square test was used for data analysis, and the significance level was considered less than 0.05.
Results: In this study, 376 boys (51.5%) and 355 girls (48.5%) were investigated. The mean and standard deviation of the age of the participants was 68.7±4.2 months, 53% of these children were first children of the family and 30% of them were only children. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 9.2% and 8.1% respectively. There was no significant relationship between overweight and obesity with gender, number of siblings and parents' education. There was a borderline difference in birth order (P=0.05) and the frequency of overweight and obesity in the firstborn children was more than other birth orders.
Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was high in preschool children. Since these risk factors in children are predictors of chronic diseases during adulthood, we need to design and implement interventions to decrease the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from December to March of 2016 among 731 preschool children (5 to 6 years old) who were selected using convenience sampling. The nutritional status of children was assessed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) expert committee guideline and based on body mass index (BMI) curves for age for boys and girls. Data were analyzed by SPSS software, version 21 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Chi-square test was used for data analysis, and the significance level was considered less than 0.05.
Results: In this study, 376 boys (51.5%) and 355 girls (48.5%) were investigated. The mean and standard deviation of the age of the participants was 68.7±4.2 months, 53% of these children were first children of the family and 30% of them were only children. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 9.2% and 8.1% respectively. There was no significant relationship between overweight and obesity with gender, number of siblings and parents' education. There was a borderline difference in birth order (P=0.05) and the frequency of overweight and obesity in the firstborn children was more than other birth orders.
Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was high in preschool children. Since these risk factors in children are predictors of chronic diseases during adulthood, we need to design and implement interventions to decrease the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children.
Type of Study: Brief Report |
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