Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Obesity is one of the most common disorders encountered in clinical practice and has major public health implications. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity among Saudi school children is a cause of concern, as obesity is associated with several complications that increase both morbidity and mortality. Aims &
Objective: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children between 6-12 years as well as to identify the associated unhealthy dietary habits for overweight and obesity. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted including representative sample of primary schoolboys in Al-Iskan sector in Makkah Almukarramah. The sample size was distributed among the three primary school in Al-Iskan sector and determined as a percentage proportionally related to the total number of the student in each school. Self-administered questionnaire (with family help) including socio-demographic characteristic and detailed dietary history, was used for data collection. Trained staff collected anthropometric measurements of weight and height.
Results: The study included 258 male primary school children. Their age ranged between 6 and 12 years. The prevalence of overweight was12.4% and that of obesity was 20.2%. Among studied socio-demographic variables associated with overweight and obesity, birth weight above normal was significantly associated with them (p<0.05) while among studied dietary factors, eating fried potatoes and chocolate at a rate more than normal was significantly associated with overweight and obesity among male school children. The habit of eating fast foods frequently (at least three times/week) was accompanied with higher prevalence of obesity (30.4%) compared to only 8% among school children who did not eat fast foods. This association between BMI and habit of eating fast foods was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the current study provide alarming evidence-based data on the considerable prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity among primary school children in Al-Iskan sector, Holly Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It highlights the significant association between some unhealthy dietary habits and increase prevalence of childhood obesity such as excessive eating of fried potatoes, chocolate and frequent fast meals.