Prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children and parents: a cross-sectional study

Obesity, a complex and multifactorial disease causing severe health problems, is still the second most important cause of preventable deaths after smoking. Another risk is that childhood obesity is associated with overweight and obesity in adulthood. This study provides information on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in primary school students and their parents on location (rural v urban) and gender.

In this population-based, cross-sectional study, the anthropometric and demographic data of 9786 children and 6855 parents were analyzed. The study was conducted between 1 October 2016 and 30 November 2016 on a sample representing all public and private primary school students aged 6-10 years in Samsun province, Turkey. The multi-stage stratified sampling method was used in selecting the research sample according to the number of district students, the number of public/private primary school students, and the number of rural/urban students. In the BMI values classification, cut-off points in the age- and gender-specific growth charts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used for students, and the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs were used for parents or guardians. After the data acquisition was completed, a questionnaire form developed by the researchers was sent to the parents through the students. While children's anthropometric measurements were performed in their classrooms, parents or guardians self-reported their weight and height. Statistical Package for the social Sciences v22.0 was used for statistical analysis of the data.

The study group consisted of 5005 (51.1%) boys and 4781 (48.9%) girls. The 6855 parents comprised 5258 (76.7%) mothers and 1597 (23.3%) fathers. The mean age was 8.2±1.2 years in children and 36.2±6.7 years in parents. Obesity prevalence was 10.5% in children and 20.2% in their parents. Childhood obesity was more prevalent in boys and in those living in urban areas (12.0% and 12.3%, respectively) than in girls and in those living in rural areas (9.0% and 4.5%, respectively). Conversely, adulthood obesity was more frequent in females and in those living in rural areas (20.4% and 21.8%, respectively) than in males and in those living in urban areas (19.7% and 20.4%, respectively).

BMI values were higher among those of male gender and those living in rural areas. Combating obesity requires further multidisciplinary research to reveal the reasons for the differences based on place and gender, especially on nutrition and healthy lifestyle behaviors.