Age and gender differences in overweight and obesity among Montenegrin school children - A national study

overweight and obesity, recognized by the WHO as a global epidemic, remain major public health challenges worldwide and in Montenegro. Given that nutritional status often varies by gender and age, this study aimed to examine differences in overweight and obesity among Montenegrin schoolchildren across these factors.

this national study included 1,615 participants from three age groups: first-grade primary school students (n = 391; 6.3 ± 0.4 years), fourth-grade primary school students (n = 409; 9.3 ± 0.3 years), and first-grade secondary school students (n = 815; 15.2 ± 0.6 years), of both genders. Overweight and obesity were assessed using standardized indices: Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR), and Body Fat Percentage (BF). Differences by sex and age were evaluated using the chi-square test (p ≤ 0.05). Statistical analyses were conducted in SPSS 23.0.

when observing gender-based differences, male students in all three age groups showed significantly higher levels of overweight and obesity compared to female students. Regarding age-related differences, fourth-grade primary school students showed significantly higher levels of overweight and obesity than both first-grade primary and first-grade secondary school students across all assessed variables.

based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that Montenegro continues to face a substantial problem of overweight and obesity, with particular attention needed for male students and, in terms of age, students in the fourth grade of primary school.