A Cross-sectional Study to Determine the Prevalence of Obesity among School-age Children in Selected Schools of Secunderabad 1694

Abstract

Background: One of the most important issues affecting public health in the twenty-first century is childhood obesity. Globally, the issue is wreaking havoc on numerous low- and middle-income nations. The rate of rapid increase in the prevalence is a factor to be pondered on. There were about 40 million overweight children among primary school-age children globally in 2022, as per the estimated records. Methodology: A cross-sectional analysis was carried out in selected private schools in the Secunderabad region from July to October 2022. The study included 300 school-age children between the ages of 9 and 12 years and the prevalence of obesity was calculated using the body mass index (BMI). Results: The maximum number of study participants (120, 40%) belonged to the overweight category, followed by obesity (95, 31.66%) and normal health status (85, 28.34%). Conclusions: As per the study findings, it is recommended that continuous follow-up healthcare programmes with a focus on physical activities should be conducted. Healthy dietary patterns and regular intake of healthy balanced food serve as a basis for a healthy life and thereby help in reducing the risk of developing obesity at a very early age.