Prevalence and Determinants of Obesity in Children in Algeria

Abstract

Our objectives through this paper are multiple: to measure the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children between 5–11 years; highlight the main causes that lead children under 12 years old to become overweight or obese, especially by highlighting the cause and effect relationship between eating disorders “bulimia nervosa” and obesityoverweigh; highlight the risk factors associated with overweight or obese children; and finally, the strategies to be planned and the policies to be applied to curb the phenomenon of obesity in this age group. This is a descriptive and cross-sectional survey which aims to study and analyze a representative sample of children under the age of 12 who attend a municipal swimming pool during the month of July 2018. The sample is made up of 509 children from less than 12 years old; the majority of children are regulars at the municipal swimming pool during the summer located in the department of Constantine, a department in the North-East of Algeria. Overweight affects 14% of children aged 5–11 years old, while moderate obesity affects 4% of children in this age category, frank obesity affects 1% of this age group. The percentage of boys and girls with a BMI3, 4 or 5 are around 13% and 23%, respectively, of the entire sample.