| dc.description.abstract | Introduction: Global estimates show that about 155million School going children are either overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity among children have now become public health concerns due to the associated health consequences. However, little is known about the magnitude and associated risk factors of overweight and obesity among school children in Uganda.
Objective: The overall objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated risk factors among primary school going children aged 6-13 years in Wakiso district, Uganda.
Methodology: Across-sectional cluster survey design was used in this study. A total of 669 pupils aged 6-13 years attending P1-P7 in12 selected primary schools in Wakiso district were interviewed. A two stage cluster sampling method was used to identify schools and pupils were randomly selected to participate in this study. Parental consent and assent of the children was sought before data collection. The collected data was sorted, coded and entered into a computer using EpiData software, then analyzed using STATA version 12.0. The log binomial regression model was used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios and their 95% confidence interval. Multivariable regression model enabled assessment of the effect of one factor having controlled for the others
Results: The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 4.2 times higher among pupils who used school van to school [PR=4.2; CI: 1.94-9.25, P<0.0001] and 9.8 times higher among those who used private care [PR=9.8; CI: 4.60-20.9, P<0.0001] than those who walked to school.
Pupils in P2 had prevalence of overweight/obesity that was 73.0% lower than those in P1 [PR=0.27; CI: 0.09 – 0.80, P=0.018]. The prevalence was also 78.0% lower among those in P3 [PR=0.22; CI: 0.09 – 0.56, P=0.001], 58.0% lower among pupils in P4 [PR=0.42; CI: 0.18-0.99, P=0.048], 68.0% lower among pupils in P5 [PR=0.32; CI: 0.14-0.73, P=0.007], 81.0% lower among pupils in P6 [PR=0.19; CI: 0.07-0.54, P=0.002] and 74.0% lower among pupils in P7 [PR=0.26; CI: 0.08-0.82, P=0.021] as compared to their colleagues in P1.
Conclusion and recommendations: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity among children aged 6-13years in Wakiso district was high, that is 26.1%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was (26.4%) among the male children and (25.9%) among the female children.
The main behavioral practice and or factor independently associated with overweight and obesity among children aged 6-13years was mode of transport to school and the grade of the pupil. The highest risk of overweight and obesity was among pupils who used the school van and private cars as a means of transport to school and pupils who were in the lower grades. There were no dietary practices associated with obesity and overweight at multivariate level.
To reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity among pupils, physical education should be encouraged in primary schools particularly among the children in the lower classes. | en_US |
