A Cross-Sectional Study on Prevalence of Obesity in Adolescents

Introduction: Obesity is a life style related metabolic disorder which has significant impact on health. Obesity is affecting children and adolescents, there is an increase in the prevalence of obesity in our country. Obesity leads to development of metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease. The objective of the study is to find out the prevalence of obesity and overweight among the adolescent population. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to find out the prevalence of obesity among adolescents in our population at CCM Medical College Bhilai, Durg. We included a total of 500 school children in the age group of 13-17 years from various schools of Bhilai, CG. A written informed consent was obtained from each participant. A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used to elicit the information for the study. Anthropometric measurements included body weight, height, mid upper arm circumference. Measurements were recorded by the Investigator using standardized procedures [Jelliff, 1966]. Result: In our study, we included a total of 500 adolescents aged between 13-17 years. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Out of the 500 adolescents included in our study, 216 had BMI 30 kg/m2 respectively. The prevalence of obesity was 6.4% and the prevalence of overweight was 13.6%. Conclusion: It is essential to maintain good BMI for a healthy lifestyle, our study shows that a large % of the student body has a BMI outside of the normal range the contributing factors include increased use of technology; lack of exercise, increased consumption of fast food. With the growth in household income, we need to keep the focus on maintaining a good lifestyle