Cent Eur J Nurs Midw 2013, 4(1):513-519

Obesity in school children

Gabriela Gongolová¹, Vladislava Zavadilová^2,*

¹ Day Nursery Frýdek-Místek, funded organization

² Department of physiology and pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava

Aim: To determine the prevalence of obesity among school children and to map the factors contributing to the development of childhood obesity.

Methods: The research sample consisted of 228 grade 4 and 9 pupils from primary schools in the city of Ostrava, Czech Republic. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. The questionnaire was concerned with children's eating habits and physical activity. The following parameters were measured: body weight, body height, waist and arm circumference. Skinfold thickness was also assessed. The study was carried out between November 2011 and April 2012.

Results: Based on BMI values, obesity was found in 12.28% of the 228 school children. A total of 9.21% of children were overweight. In the sample, there were 16.67% of obese boys and 8.33% of obese girls. Moreover, 12.04% of boys and 6.67% of girls suffered from overweight. The percentage of obese children was higher in the grade 4 group. The survey showed that, on average, girls had a higher proportion of body fat than boys in all age categories. The research also revealed a lack of physical activity in school children. The most frequent leisure activities were watching TV or playing computer games.

Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity is increasing not only in the adult population but also in children. Obesity is becoming a global issue that causes many problems in the life of children, both physical and mental. Childhood is the right time to start a fight against obesity. Prevention plays the most important role in preventing childhood obesity and the associated problems.

Keywords: obesity, overweight, body fat, prevention, physical activity, lifestyle

Published: March 30, 2013  Show citation