Overweight and obesity in children aged 6-11 years: prevalence and associated factors in Oran

Introduction: Childhood obesity is a major public health problem throughout the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of overweight and obesity in school-attending children aged 6-11 years in Oran during the 2010-2011 school year. Materials and methods: 2,252 children (1,104 girls and 1,148 boys) aged 6-11 years from nine primary schools in Oran participated in the survey. Obesity and overweight were defined using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the risk factors for overweight and obesity. Results: 13% of the sample were found to be overweight or obese (16.4% of girls vs 10% of boys, p < 10(-4)). 10% of the sample were overweight (12.4% of girls and 7.7% of boys, p < 10(-4)). 3.1% of the children were obese (4% of girls and 2.3% of boys, p < 0.05). Using multivariate analysis, overweight was found to be associated with female gender (odds ratio adjusted (ORa) = 1.5), a family history of overweight (ORa = 2.2), living in a single-family home (ORa = 1.5) and skipping breakfast (ORa = 1.8). Conclusion: Overweight is not only a problem in industrialized countries, but is also prevalent in developing countries, where measures to reduce overweight and obesity need to be further developed.