ASSOCIATION OF BMI AND LIFE STYLE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN (AGED 6-16 YEARS) OF LAHORE

Objective: To find an association between life style and overweight/ obesity in different socio-income groups of school going children in Lahore Method: A cross sectional study design was conducted to assess frequency of overweight and obesity in school children aged 6- 16 years. A sample of 370 students was selected from six schools in Lahore. Random sampling technique was use to select 10 students from each grade. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17, and associations were made using chi-square test. Results: A total of n=370 students were included in the study. The students comprised of males (n=194)52.4% and females (n= 176) 47.6%. The number of students from government school was (n=176) 47.6% and private school was (n=194) 52.4%. A total of 18.4% (n=68) were found to be underweight, 46.5 %( n=172) had normal BMI and 35.1% (n=130) were overweight. Strong positive association was found between upper and lower socio-income schools and BMI, 49.5% (n=96) students from upper income were overweight and 19.3% (n=34) students were overweight from lower income school (p value <0.000). Thirty eight percent (n=66) Females were overweight as compared to thirty percent (n=64) males (p value < 0.000). Conclusion: The high prevalence of overweight indicates that intensive intervention is required to tackle this emerging problem. Thus, it is necessary to formulate preventive strategies that involve physical activity and nutritious food. Advice about diet should include guidance about avoiding the over-consumption of energy dense food and food low in fiber. Health education in school should incorporate all the above-mentioned points in an understandable way in order to maximize its impact on society.