Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among a Sample of under - Five Rural Children in Lower Egypt

Abstract

Egypt has been described as suffering a double burden malnutrition among young children: stunting as well as overweight/obesity. Objective: to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among a sample of rural children under 5 years of age. Subjects &methods: A systematic random sample of 3871 children 0-59 months were selected from 21 rural family health units in 2 districts in Lower Egypt. The selected children were assessed for weight and height/length. The mothers' of selected children were interviewed using a structured questionnaire about feeding of children as well as family characteristics. Body mass index for age was calculated for every child and assessed on the reference curve for growth chart of WHO. Z scores were used to determine overweight and obesity. Results: The prevalence of overweight was 11.8% and the prevalence of obesity was 3.7% among the children studied. The main risk factor for combined overweight and obesity below 24 months was milk formula as predominant feeding while the main risk factor for overweight/obesity from 2-5 years was male gender. Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in children less than 5 years of age, which mandates future follow up studies on wider areas all over Egypt.