Prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity among higher secondary students in a district in Kerala
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20212018Keywords:
Overweight, Obesity, AdolescentsAbstract
Background: Overweight and obesity among adolescents and children are associated with early onset of non-communicable diseases and greater risk of complications in adulthood. The study was conceived in the background of the high burden on adult non-communicable diseases in the state, to assess the prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity among higher secondary students in one of its fourteen districts, with a view to explore the areas to be focused in preventive activities.
Methods: Anthropometric, blood pressure, and physical examination of 1846 class plus one students were conducted in Thiruvananthapuram. Lifestyle assessment of the children was also conducted using a self-administered prevalidated questionnaire. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was calculated based on Indian academy of pediatrics body mass index cut-offs. Logistic regression analysis was done to discover factors associated with overweight conditions.
Results: Among the students, 14.19% were overweight; 6.45% were obese. Boys, rural residents, and those from low socioeconomic background had lower odds of being overweight. Students who had main meal (s) from outside on three or more days a week (adjusted odds ratio 1.99; CI: 1.17-3.386), and with history of hypercholesterolemia (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) 1.8; CI: 1.19-2.63), obesity (aOR 1.6; CI: 1.11-2.23), or diabetes (aOR 1.5; CI: 1.17-1.95) in the immediate-family had higher odds of being overweight. Hypertension and acanthosis were significantly higher among overweight students (p=0.001).
Conclusions: The results warrant the adoption of screening and timely intervention for non-communicable disease risk factors from school level itself to reduce future morbidity and the risk of complications.
References
World Health Organization. Factsheets; Obesity and overweight. Available at: https://www.who.int/ news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight. Accessed on 02 November 2020.
Watkins D, Hale J, Hutchinson B, Kataria I, Kontis V, Nugent R. Investing in non-communicable disease risk factor control among adolescents worldwide: a modelling study. BMJ Glob Heal. 2019;4(2):001335.
Abarca-Gómez L, Abdeen ZA, Hamid ZA, Abu-Rmeileh NM, Acosta-Cazares B, Acuin C, et al. Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and adults. Lancet. 2017;390(10113):2627-42.
Simmonds M, Llewellyn A, Owen CG, Woolacott N. Predicting adult obesity from childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev an Off J Int Assoc Study Obes. 2016;17(2):95-107.
Freedman DS, Khan LK, Serdula MK, Dietz WH, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS. The relation of childhood BMI to adult adiposity: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics. 2005;115(1):22-7.
Prasad R, Bazroy J, Singh Z. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescent students in Pondicherry, South India. Int J Nutr Pharmacol Neurol Dis. 2016;6(2):72-5.
Cherian AT, Cherian SS, Subbiah S. Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight in Urban School Children in Kerala, India. Indian Pediatr. 2020;49:475-7.
Rohilla R, Rajput M, Rohilla J, Malik M, Garg D, Verma M. Prevalence and correlates of overweight/obesity among adolescents in an urban city of north India. J Fam Med Prim care. 2014;3(4):404-8.
George B, Liss Maria S. Hypertension among adolescent school children aged 15-18 years in an urban government school, Kerala. Indian J Appl Res. 2018;8(5):20-2.
Vaman K, Sangeeta Y, Aggrawal K, Al E. Revised IAP Growth Charts for Height, Weight and Body Mass Index for 5- to 18-year-old Indian Children. Indian Pediatr. 2015;52:47-55.
WHO Expert Consultation. Public health Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet. 2004;363:157-63.
Blowey D, Falkner B, Gidding SS. Clinical Practice Guideline for Screening and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2017;140(3).
Burke JP, Hale DE, Hazuda HP, Stern MP. A quantitative scale of acanthosis nigricans. Diabetes Care. 1999;22(10):1655-9.
Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983;24(4):385-96.
Jacob JK, Jacob SK, George SB. Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Adolescent Children : A Cross-sectional Study. 2016;4(6):50-4.
Urmila KV, Divya KK, Sudakaran, Muralikrishnan N. Prevalence and risk factors of obesity among higher secondary school students in urban and rural schools of North Kerala. Int J Contemp Pediatr. 2017;4:1851-6.
Gill R, Cheung YH, Shen Y, Lanzano P, Mirza NM, Ten S, et al. Whole-exome sequencing identifies novel LEPR mutations in individuals with severe early onset obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014;22(2):576-84.
Silventoinen K, Rokholm B, Kaprio J, Sørensen TIA. The genetic and environmental influences on childhood obesity: a systematic review of twin and adoption studies. Int J Obes (Lond). 2010;34(1):29-40.
Castellini G, Franzago M, Bagnoli S, Lelli L, Balsamo M, Mancini M, et al. Fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) is associated to eating disorders susceptibility and moderates the expression of psychopathological traits. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):0173560.
Challis BG, Pritchard LE, Creemers JWM, Delplanque J, Keogh JM, Luan J, et al. A missense mutation disrupting a dibasic prohormone processing site in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) increases susceptibility to early-onset obesity through a novel molecular mechanism. Hum Mol Genet. 2002;11(17):1997-2004.
