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Underweight, overweight and obesity among Sudanese secondary school children of Khartoum State.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

This cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity among 270 Sudanese school-children aged 15-18 years in Khartoum State, Sudan. Anthropometric measurements of height and weight were made on 270 girls and boys in six secondary schools located in different areas of socio-economical strata. The body mass index (BMI) was computed according to areas of the standard equation. Under nutrition, overweight and obesity was defined following the internationally accepted BMI cut-off points. Results revealed that the overall rates of overweight and obesity were 28.5%% and 5.6%, respectively along 'with the 19.6% prevalence of undernutrition. Rate of overweight was very high among females (64%) compared to males (36); while the opposite was true for the obesity rates (60% males; 40% females). Results indicated a very strong correlation between the incidence of overweight and obesity from one side and the life style from the other side including: levels of physical activities, number of meals, nutrient contents of the meals, sleeping hours, hours of TV watching and means of transportation to and from the school. Results clearly showed the links between the obesity and overweight and the presence of chronic and nutrition related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. In addition, typical obesity-psychological symptoms such as feelings of social isolation, frustration and depression were also observed in this study.

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Introduction

Under- nutrition is still considered one of the major problems in public health in many countries affecting 30% or more of children under 5 years of age; being the most important mortality cause (55%) in this age group in developing countries (UNICEF, 1998). In developing countries nutritional deficit during prenatal and continuing in post-natal life is very common. This condition leads to stunting and important metabolic changes. Studies (Sawaya et al. 2005) suggested that, developing countries are harbouring double burden of obesity and undernutrition, especially among the poor, and suggests that stunting or chronic undernutrition increases the risk of obesity and hypertension later in life. Obesity has become a global health problem, affecting more than 1.3 billion adults in both developed and developing countries (WHO 2005). Overweight and obesity in childhood are known to .have significant impact on both physical and psychological health. Environmental factors, lifestyle preferences, and cultural environment play pivotal roles in the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide (Dehghan et.al, 2005). There is no consensus on a cutoff point for excess fatness of overweight or obesity in children and adolescents. Williams et a,1992, classified children as fat if their percentage of body fat was at least 25% and 30%, respectively, for males and females. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention defined overweight as at or above the 95th percentile of BMI for age and "at risk for overweight" as between 85th to 95th percentile of BMI for age. European researchers classified overweight as at or above 85th percentile and obesity as at or above 95th percentile of BMI (Dehghan et al. 2005). According to Bose et al. (2007) and Cole et al. (2000) individuals are classified as overweight or obese based on their body mass index (BMI), with the latter category having the higher BMI.

Materials and Methods

This study was conducted during the period April to December 2006. Two Hundred and Seventy Sudanese schoolchildren aged 6-9 years in Khartoum State, Sudan. Anthropometric measurements of height and weight were...

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