Obesity-Related Factors in Turkish School Children
Open Access
- 1 January 2012
- journal article
- Published by Hindawi Limited in The Scientific World Journal
- Vol. 2012, 1-5
- https://doi.org/10.1100/2012/353485
Abstract
Objective. To determine the prevalence of obesity and its risk factors in Turkish children.Method. This cross-sectional survey was conducted on students including 1271 boys and 1206 girls selected from 20 secondary schools in Samsun, Turkey. A predesigned questionnaire was used to elicit the information on individual characteristics. The height and weight of students were measured in their classroom. Obesity was defined as body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for age of the sex-specific CDC growth charts.Result. The mean age was 12.8 ± 0.9 years, and the prevalence of obesity was found at 10.3%. There were higher numbers of obese students in boys than in girls (= 53.4;P< 0.001). The prevalence of obesity was 10.0% and 16.8% in public and private school students, respectively. The percentage of obese children in students who skipped breakfast was found to be higher than that in the group that consumed 3 meals a day regularly. There was no difference at time spent in sedentary behavior except watching TV, and prevalence of obesity in the group of students watching television over 3 hours per day was higher than that in their counterparts (= 13.6;P< 0.01). The time of engagement in sports was lower in obese group statistically (F= 8.9;P< 0.001).Conclusion. In order to prevent childhood obesity, monitoring children's lifestyle by parents is necessary.
Keywords
This publication has 32 references indexed in Scilit:
- Epidemiology of Abdominal Obesity among Adolescents from a Brazilian State CapitalJournal of Korean Medical Science, 2011
- Prevalence of Obesity Among Adolescents (10 to 14 Years) in KuwaitAsia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 2009
- How Do School-Day Activity Patterns Differ with Age and Gender across Adolescence?Journal of Adolescent Health, 2009
- Prevalence of overweight and obesity on the island of Ireland: results from the North South Survey of Children's Height, Weight and Body Mass Index, 2002BMC Public Health, 2007
- Childhood obesity: should primary school children be routinely screened? A systematic review and discussion of the evidenceArchives of Disease in Childhood, 2007
- Changes in Sedentary Behavior among Adolescent Girls: A 2.5-Year Prospective Cohort StudyJournal of Adolescent Health, 2007
- TV Viewing and Physical Activity Are Independently Associated with Metabolic Risk in Children: The European Youth Heart StudyPLoS Medicine, 2006
- Total fat, fat distribution and blood pressure according to eating frequency in children living in southern Italy: the ARCA projectInternational Journal of Obesity, 2006
- Overweight and obesity in Canadian adolescents and their associations with dietary habits and physical activity patternsJournal of Adolescent Health, 2004
- Prevention of Pediatric Overweight and ObesityPEDIATRICS, 2003