Introduction. Neighbourhood impact on health has been the subject of many studies. They demonstrated that the health status of both adults and children depends, among other things, on the local environment. In turn, obesity in children and adolescents remains a major health problem in developed countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and underweight in children and adolescents (6-18-years-old) studying in schools located in different districts of Gdańsk, northern Poland. Material and method. The study was conducted in the 2008-2009 school year in the 6th largest city in Poland-Gdańsk (456,967 inhabitants). The study group comprised 25,609 children and adolescents, including 13,000 boys and 12,609 girls. The international standard IOTF (International Obesity Task Force) was used to determine overweight and underweight. Results. The incidence of overweight in the group was 19.15%, and of underweight 10.83%. Differences in the prevalence of these anomalies between particular Gdańsk districts were statistically significant (p = 0.0000). Underweight was observed in 12.32% of the examined girls and in 9.39% of boys. The statistically significant (chi2 test) prevalence of overweight and underweight depending on the district needs further clarification. Conclusion. Knowledge of these determinants is essential for creating effective health promotion programmes. It seems that in searching for determinants in future studies, the influence of the contextual factor should be considered.

The pathological increase in the amount of fat in the body is the cause of many diseases. The review of literature and the still current topic suggests the need to continue research on the relationship of obesity in adults with socio-demographic factors, the place of residence, the environment and health behaviors. The aim of the study was to identify factors conducive to the occurrence or coexistence of overweight or normal body weight among Gdańsk residents having school-age children. Material and Methods: The primary research tool was a survey questionnaire to be filled in individually, concerning such issues as neighborhood, health behaviors, physical activity and the factors that affect these behaviors, and the risk of obesity. To examine the relationship between neighborhood, health behaviors and overweight, the logistic regression method was applied to determine the odds ratios (OR), showing the extent to which the probability of overweight or obesity increases/decreases. Results: A higher level of education as well as a higher income per family member were associated with more correct values of the body mass index (BMI). A statistically significant relationship between the selected health behaviors in non-obese and overweight/obese groups was found. The significance of these was related to such variables as the duration of sleep, eating fast food products, drinking sweetened soft drinks, and eating canned and fried foods. The number of hours of sleep turned out to be significant. There was no significant relationship between the weight status and neighborhood. Conclusions: The identification of the risk factors for overweight and obesity among parents of school-age children allows for the implementation of educational activities in this area to interdisciplinary procedures for the health of Tri-City residents.

Background: Interest in the development of a 6-7-year-old child derives among other things from the necessity to evaluate child's readiness to take up a regular educational process. Physical development and physical fitness of the child are components of school maturity. The purpose of the study was to show similarities and differences in the level of physical development and fitness of children attending school and pre-school institutions in the years 2005-2009 in Gdansk.Material/Methods: 15,578 children (8,006 boys and 7,572 girls) from Gdansk were subject to research in the years [2005][2006][2007][2008][2009]. The measurements of the height, body mass and 5 skin folds were carried out. BMI and %BF were calculated. To determine the physical fitness level, the following tests were applied: sit and reach, standing broad jump, sit-ups and a 3-min step-test. Results:In pre-schools children higher values of body height were observed in the investigated period (2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)) but, at the same time, there were no differences in body mass between children from pre-schools and schools. Nor did the children differ in the amount of fat deposition. In the fitness level the biggest differences between the results achieved by children from schools and pre-schools were noted in the test of standing broad jump on both feet. Both boys and girls from pre-schools got higher scores in this test and their post-effort HR was lower in comparison with their peers from schools.Conclusions: Differences in the level of physical fitness, especially its manifestations depending on everyday physical activity, reflect well on conditions created for children in preschools.