Study of childhood obesity among school children aged 6 to 12 years in union territory of Puducherry

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of obesity and overweight among school children in Puducherry. To identify any variation as per age, gender, place of residence and type of school. SETTING AND DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of a school-based cross sectional study in all the four regions of Puducherry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Children between 6 and 12 yrs were sampled using multistage random sampling with population proportionate to size from 30 clusters. Anthropometric data (BMI) was analyzed using CDC growth charts. Data was analyzed using SPSS, BMI (CDC) calculator, CI calculator and OR calculator. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight (≥85(th) percentile) among children was 4.41% and prevalence of obesity (>95(th) percentile) was 2.12%. Mahe region had the highest prevalence of overweight (8.66%) and obesity (4.69%). Female children from private schools and urban areas were at greater risk of being overweight and obese. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood obesity is a problem in Puducherry and requires timely intervention for its control.