Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is currently a major health problem in many countries of the world. Aims &
Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and describe the risk factors among primary school male children in Al-Madinah Al- Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. It is our intension that these data can be useful in planning appropriate intervention programs targeting school children. Material and Methods: This is a cross sectional descriptive study included 197 primary-school children aged 9 to 14 years living in Al-Madinah Al- Munawarah city. A structured questionnaire was constructed to collect information from the subjects. After an interview and a review of clinical examination records, height and weight were measured.
Results: In this study, 49 (24.9%) of 197 children were obese and 30 (15.2%) were overweight. Food consuming behaviors were strongly associated with childhood obesity in the variables “eating too much” (p = 0.001), “arguing if say enough or stop eating” (p< 0.001), “demanding food while still eating (p = 0.001) and “demanding food between meals” (p = 0.021). Personality behavioral variables were strongly associated with childhood obesity in the variables “complaint being overweight” (p< 0.001), “complaint being unattractive” (p < 0.001), “complaint being not fitting in clothes” (p< 0.001), “complaint being teased” (p = 0.009). Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children in Al-Madinah Al- Munawarah is high. Multiple strategies and interventions are warranted to prevent overweight and obesity related risk behavior in school-aged children.