Epidemiological Study on Overweight and Obesity among Adolescent Boys and Girls

Abstract

Background and Aim: Overweight and obesity has a great impact on individual health and quality of life. Most of the psychosocial and physical health problems are considerably related with overweight and obesity in adolescents. The incidence of overweight and obesity accelerated in the developing world over the last decade. The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Pakistani adolescents. Methodology: This epidemiological study was conducted on 1764 Pakistani adolescents attending multi medical centers of Pakistan with an age ranges from 12 years to 19 years. The socio-demographic questionnaire was completed by each individual with a consent form. Demographic and anthropometric parameters were included in the questionnaire. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was determined based on body mass index calculation. Obesity and associated factors were analyzed through analysis of Univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Out of total adolescents, 885 (50.2%) were male and 879 (49.8%) were females. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 14.1% (male 18.5%; female 11.4%) and 5.4% (male 8.3%; female 4.4%) respectively. Boys were prevalent in overweight and obesity compared to girls (p<0.001). Using Multivariate logistic regression, male gender (OR=1.89, 95% CI 1.37-2.56), eating fruits 3 or more times per week (OR=1.39, 95% CI 1.03-1.79), and fast eating (OR=1.29, 95% CI 1.03-1.68) were considerably related to the overweight and obesity. Adolescents whose parents were overweight or obese (0.69, 95% CI 0.49-0.93) were improbable to be overweight or obese. Conclusion: Our study found a higher risk and prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescent boys compared to adolescent girls in the recent few years. Gender, parental weight, and diet were key parameters for adolescents' obesity. There is a need for further intervention and national program establishment to decrease the incidence of overweight and obesity. Keywords: Overweight; Obesity; Adolescents