Prevalence and associated factors of overweight/obesity among school going children in Chandigarh, India

Background An increasing prevalence of childhood obesity is reported worldwide. Few data are available regarding childhood obesity in North India. The present study aimed to study the prevalence of overweight/obesity among adolescents aged 10-14, in schools of Chandigarh, and to examine associated factors. Methods Nine co-educational schools were chosen to include both government and private schools in Chandigarh. We randomly sampled students from different subsections/batches of classes fifth to ninth (aged 10-14), and those present on the day were measured and completed questionnaires. Obesity was classified according to the methods recommended by the Indian Association of Pediatrics (IAP) growth charts committee. Results A total of 1,030 participants were included, 502 students from government and 528 students from private schools. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity evaluated by using age-specific body mass index (BMI) cut-offs was found to be 9.9% and 14.0%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight (adult equivalent of 23) was 10.3% in boys and 9.4% in girls and that of obesity (adult equivalent of 27) was found to be 13.3% and 14.7%, respectively, in boys and girls. In univariate analyses, statistically significant associations were found between the risk of obesity and gender, socio-economic status (SES) and reported physical activity. Conclusion We found significant levels of overweight and obesity among children aged 10-14 and found associations with SES, gender and reported physical activity as has been previously reported elsewhere.