Prevalence of Childhood Obesity among Primary School Students at Taif Governorate, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Obesity in children is rapidly emerging as a global epidemic that will have profound public health consequences as overweight children become overweight adults particularly if obesity is present in adolescence.
 Objectives: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children between 6-12 years (males and females) at Taif primary schools and determine the associated dietary risk factors for overweight and obesity.
 Methods: A cross sectional analytic study was implemented included a representative sample of primary school students (boys and girls) enrolled in governmental schools in Taif, Saudi Arabia, 2014-2015. Data were collected by using valid self-administered questionnaire, with family help. It including socio-demographic characteristics and detailed dietary history. Body mass index-for-age percentiles of CDC were utilized in this study to diagnose obesity.
 Results: Among schoolboys, the prevalence of overweight was 10.7%, while prevalence of obesity was 7.6%; the problem seemed to be worse in girls, where the prevalence of overweight and obesity were 16.8% and 18.2%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that girls were al almost double risk for developing overweight/obesity compared to boys ((aOR=1.93; 95%CI: 1.03-3.60, p<0.05). Habit of eating cheeps potatoes at school at abnormal rate was associated with almost three-folded risk for obesity or overweight compared to eating cheeps potatoes within normal (aOR=3.14; 95%CI: 1.17-8.41). School children who had the habit of taking fast foods at least three times/week were more likely to develop obesity or overweight compared to those who did not take fast foods (aOR=1.98; 95%CI:1.08-6.30).
 Conclusions: Overweight and obesity among primary school children in Taif city, Saudi Arabia is a public health problem affecting more than one-third of girls and almost one fifth of boys. It confirms the significant association between some unhealthy dietary habits and increase prevalence of childhood obesity.

Prevalence of Obesity in Primary School Students and its Relation to Watching TV in Arar City

“…In Taif city, Saudi Arabia, childhood overweight and obesity is a public health problem affecting more than onethird of girls and almost one-fifth of boys. It confirms the significant association between some unhealthy dietary habits and increases the prevalence of childhood obesity [8]. Several studies reported that higher TV numbers of watching hours are related to increasing body mass index (BMI), decreased body fitness, and increased blood cholesterol levels [9].…”

“…As regards the percentage distribution of the study children by BMI, the present study found that 15.9% of female students were overweight and obese. In Taif, KSA, in schoolboys, the prevalence of overweight and obesity were 10.7% and 7.6%, respectively; while in girls, they were 16.8% and 18.2%, respectively [8]. In Jazan, overweight and obesity were 10.1% and 12.4%, respectively, and both obesity and overweight were more frequent in children consuming more fast food [13].…”

The Influence of Reading Interest on Learning Achievement at Student

“…Several previous studies have shown that reading interest positively affects learning achievement (Alghamdi, 2019;Hairani & Rathni, 2017;Nugraha, 2018). However, some studies show no significant relationship between reading interest and learning achievement (Ardianto, 2020;Shihab, 2021).…”