Obesity and its associated risk factors among school-aged children in Sharjah, UAE

Abstract

Background The most prevalent nutritional disorders worldwide are childhood overweight or obesity. Various factors clearly contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of childhood obesity in children of primary schools, and determine the influence of eating behavior and lifestyle in such a condition. Methods The study based on a cross sectional survey including school children aged 6-11 years. Pupils were from different schools in Sharjah, UAE. Outcome measures used in this study covered health characteristics; child habits and lifestyle; disease status and medication. Results The number of pre-validated surveys distributed was 932 and those returned counted to 678, giving a response rate of 72.8%. More than half (379; 55.9%) of the participants were females and 191 (28.2%) of the children were obese or overweight. Almost one quarter (162; 23.9%) of the children was physically inactive. Additionally, candy and fast food consumption was significantly high (370; 54.6%) and (324; 47.8%) respectively. Participant's food, age and time spent on TV were significantly associated with body mass index (BMI). Conclusion Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Emirate of Sharjah is high in both genders and across all ages of the study population. Contributing factors may include; sedentary lifestyle, consumption of unhealthy food and family history. There is a need for an immediate attention and measures to reduce the prevalence of obesity and associated diseases.

Prevalence and associated factors of overweight and obesity among primary school children: a cross-sectional study in Thanhhoa City, Vietnam

“…From 2010 to now, globally, there has been a multitude of studies conducted to determine the prevalence and factors associated with overweight/obesity among children and adolescents 16–44. The first group of risk factors significantly associated with overweight/obesity among children is the characteristics of children and their families, including child’s sex,17–22 child’s age,18 19 21 birth order,19 overweight at birth,19 the number of siblings,19 23 school type (public/private),18 25 father/mother’s education,18 26 27 father/mother’s occupation,17 19 24 parental overweight/obesity or BMIs18 19 24 29 30 and residence (urban/rural) 21 22 24.…”

“…The first group of risk factors significantly associated with overweight/obesity among children is the characteristics of children and their families, including child’s sex,17–22 child’s age,18 19 21 birth order,19 overweight at birth,19 the number of siblings,19 23 school type (public/private),18 25 father/mother’s education,18 26 27 father/mother’s occupation,17 19 24 parental overweight/obesity or BMIs18 19 24 29 30 and residence (urban/rural) 21 22 24. The second group is the dietary habits of children, such as food intake,29 dinner time,26 fast food, sweets, sugary/sweetened drinks17 22 25 31 and eating vegetables/fruits 29 32. Other factors include physical activities (exercises/playing sports),20 29 mode of transport to school17 26 and sedentary activities (watching television, computer game playing, sleeping) 17 19 29 31 32…”

“…The second group is the dietary habits of children, such as food intake,29 dinner time,26 fast food, sweets, sugary/sweetened drinks17 22 25 31 and eating vegetables/fruits 29 32. Other factors include physical activities (exercises/playing sports),20 29 mode of transport to school17 26 and sedentary activities (watching television, computer game playing, sleeping) 17 19 29 31 32…”

Distribution of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in School-Aged Children with Excess Body Weight in the Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Moreover, cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) are more prevalent among children with excess weight than those of a healthy weight [7]. Two studies from the Emirates of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), have asserted that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-aged children (28.2%) and (29.7%), respectively, was four times higher (28.2%) than the global prevalence (6.7%) [8,9], while the prevalence rates of high blood pressure (BP) (≥95th percentile of centers for disease control criteria) were 15.4% among school-aged boys and 17.8% among girls [9].…”

Intervenções educativas na prevenção ou tratamento da obesidade em adolescentes: revisão integrativa

“…Estudos realizados nos Estados Unidos 3 e Emirados Árabes 4 destacam a obesidade como importante problema de saúde pública, com implicações graves para a saúde, como comorbidades relacionadas com fatores fisiológicos e psicológicos. Pesquisa realizada em escolas de 21 países europeus identificou números preocupantes de adolescentes com obesidade grave, e assim, destacou a relevância de a obesidade ser tratada por meio de uma variedade de intervenções educativas, desde a prevenção precoce do sobrepeso e da obesidade, até o tratamento daqueles que precisam 5 .…”