Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity and Their Associated Risk Factors in School-Going Children in North Karnataka City

Background Malnutrition presents threats to human health, including undernutrition and overweight. Obesity is becoming a worldwide problem affecting all levels of society. Therefore, it is described as a global epidemic with a more pronounced impact in developing countries undergoing rapid epidemiological transitions. An increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity is associated with potential medical complications of obesity in adulthood. The purpose of the study is to estimate the prevalence of obesity and risk factors associated with obesity in school-going children of north Karnataka city. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in schools in north Karnataka city on 1330 school-going children 10-17 years of age. The overweight and obesity groups were considered using an updated BMI reference of children from two to 18 years ago, according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), and a structured questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic characteristics. Chi-square test was used to find out the association between risk factors and overweight and obesity and p value of less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Results The prevalence of obesity in this study was 6.5%. It was found that 64 (22.9%) of the children who were obese or overweight were 14 years of age. Eighty (16.6%) obese children belonged to class 4 socio-economic class and 140 (22.0%) obese children used motorized means of transport. The eating habits of obese children were assessed, and it was found that 151 (19.4%) children had mixed diets, 210 (18.5%) obese children consumed junk food, and 183 (19.3%) obese children drank carbonated drinks. Conclusion This study suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity varies remarkably with different sociodemographic factors. Prevention of childhood obesity is necessary because it is nearly impossible to get children to lose weight and maintain it. Preventive interventions are needed at the individual level to adopt healthy lifestyle behavior and policy-making levels to tackle the obesity problem in the country.