Investigating factors predicting overweight and obesity in children upon entering primary schools in Rasht in 2013

Dissertation for Master's Degree in Nursing Education

          (Community Health Orientation)

Abstract:

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are one of the health related problems, the prevalence of which is increasing in developed and developing countries and is a problem. It has become sanitary. Obesity in childhood and adolescence, especially during the second decade of life, is considered as a strong predictor of obesity in adulthood.

Aim: The purpose of the present study is to determine the predictors of overweight and obesity in children entering elementary schools in Rasht city in 2013

Materials and methods: This is a descriptive-cross-sectional study based on 426 children aged 6-7 years old, who were selected to enter the primary schools of Rasht city in 2013 in the national health assessment plan of children upon entering school, were selected by the classification method and by the two districts of Rasht city. The data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire to examine the predictors of overweight and obesity and the demographic characteristics of the research units, as well as scales and meters to measure body mass index. The data was analyzed using SPSS=17 software and with the help of independent t-test, analysis of variance and Pearson's correlation coefficient test. Findings: The results showed that 8.6% of boys and 14% of girls are overweight, and 19% of boys and 15.3% of girls are obese. Overweight and obesity in children with a history of family obesity (P < 0.001), mass index Mother's body (P<0.025), amount of food consumption compared to people of the same age (P<0.001) and child's physical activity hours (P<0.023) were related.

Conclusion: Four variables of family history of obesity, mother's body mass index, parent's opinion about child's eating compared to peers and child's physical activity hours as predictors of children's overweight and obesity They were recognized upon entering the school.

Keywords: overweight, obesity, predictive factors, children

Research:

Human is the center of development and human health is considered the secret of development. We all want to be healthy, but many of us do not know what health is and how to get it. Humans have different definitions of health, some define it negatively, meaning "not having disease" and some define it positively, meaning "being the highest level of well-being" to the extent that two healthy people may have a different understanding of their health. The definitions that people have of health affects their performance to provide, maintain and improve health (1).

Generally, the determinants of health are divided into three categories, which include genetics, environment and lifestyle. These three factors form a triangle that is constantly interacting.            Although a person's health status is primarily influenced by genetic factors, it has been seen that environmental factors and lifestyle strongly affect a person's health, so that health experts today consider lifestyle to be one of the most important factors affecting health (2). is Contrary to the past, when fat people were thought to be healthy and strong people. Today, it has been proven that these people are not only not strong, but also get sick more often and have a shorter life span (4).

Today, the number of obese people is increasing, and this problem, which was considered a problem in developed and industrialized countries not too long ago, is now increasing in all parts of the world, including in developing countries where food shortages are usually the main nutritional problem. In addition, reducing the age of obesity and its prevalence in children and teenagers is also very important, because obesity at this age has a greater impact on health. In many cases, adult obesity begins in childhood, and effective prevention depends on how childhood obesity is treated and controlled (4).

Actually, obesity is a condition in which the fat reserves in the body have increased and reached a point that harms the health of the person. Also, according to the definition of overweight [1], it is a condition in which a person's weight exceeds the standard value according to height (19).

But in the case of overweight and obese children, based on the standard curves of the body mass index (BMI [2]) for age and gender according to the reference of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC [3]) and based on the border limits of BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles as overweight and the 95th percentile It is mostly defined as obese (4).

Obesity in childhood and adolescence, especially during the second decade of life, is considered as a strong predictor of adult obesity. The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents is increasing in many countries of the world, even in countries where malnutrition due to lack of intake is still a public health problem (5). Accordingly, there is a close relationship between childhood obesity and the increased likelihood of obesity in adulthood and the resulting physical problems. Nowadays, overweight and obesity are chronic diseases that have become a health problem, one of the most serious public health challenges in the world. It is the 21st century (11).

In 2007, it was estimated that around 22 million children under the age of 5 were overweight worldwide, and more than 75% of overweight and obese children live in low- and middle-income countries. Not only is the prevalence of childhood obesity challenging, but its prevalence has also increased (6).

The prevalence of obesity in children has increased significantly. Data from 2009-2010 show that 15% of American children between the ages of 2 and 19 are overweight, up from 13% in 2006. The highest prevalence of obesity has been seen in groups that have the highest amount of overweight and also in special ethnic groups such as American blacks, where more than 30% of their children are overweight (7).

In the United States of America, the average prevalence of overweight and obesity in children was reported as 22% and 11%, respectively. While in the state of Carolina, their prevalence was 32.4% and 16.4%, respectively, which In the black race, 54% of girls and 45% of boys were overweight or obese. According to studies, the prevalence of overweight children in Spain and Italy was 40%, Canada 25.3%, Greece 22%, Turkey 10.6%, India 10%, Malaysia 16.3%, Qatar 28.6% and Kuwait 30% (8).

According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, 30% of the population of the Middle East is overweight. Today, overweight among children has become an epidemic, and in the age group of 6-12 years old, overweight has more than doubled in the last decade(9).

According to studies, the prevalence of obesity in all Iranian schools is 5-10%. Some studies conducted in Iran show that the prevalence of obesity has been increasing in the last decade. So, in a survey among female students in elementary school in Tehran, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13.3% and 7.7%, respectively (8).

In 2009, a study in Rasht showed that the prevalence of overweight among girls and boys in elementary schools was 15% and 11.5%, respectively, and the prevalence of obesity was 5% among boys and 5.9% among girls in elementary schools. (9).

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