RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AMONG ADOLESCENTS STUDYING IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS OF RATNANAGAR MUNICIPALITY, CHITWAN

Abstract

The study was performed with objective to examine risk factors associated with overweight and obesity on 213 adolescent boys and girls of 10 to 19 years studying in Private School of Ratnanagar Municipality. A cross sectional study was conducted in 10-19 years boys and girls studying in private schools of Ratnanagar Municipality. The sample size taken for the study was 213.Anthropometric measurements were taken to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents. A structured questionnaire was administered to participants for demographic, socio-economic information, physical activity and diet behavior. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and Microsoft package 13 (Excel and Word). Chi-square tests were performed to establish the association between different categories, analysis was performed to establish the strength and direction of the relationship between variables. BAZ score was also used. Mean BMI was found to be 21.92 ± 4.677 kg/m² in Boys and 22.86 ±4.152 kg/m² in Girls, Mean BAZ-score was found to be 0.84±1.707 in Boys and 1.02±1.136 in Girls. BMI was used to determine generalized overweight and obesity using WHO standard classification. Present study revealed that 19.25% and 3.76% were overweight and obese respectively. Likewise based on BMI for Age 31.8% were overweight, 22.5% were obese and 1.4% were severely obese. Factors such as skip breakfast, hours spent on TV, eat in front of TV, Physical activity, were significantly associated (p<0.05) with overweight and obesity. The findings are a clear evidence of the rising trends of overweight and obesity in adolescents. So, overweight and obesity must be taken as serious problem. Efforts should be made to address the problem of overweight and obesity, by addressing the factors associated with it to minimize its consequences.