School environment, socioeconomic status and weight of children in Bloemfontein, South Africa
Background: The continued existence of undernutrition, associated with a steady increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, necessitates identification of factors contributing to this double burden of disease, in order for effective treatment and prevention prog...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2015-03-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/751 |
| _version_ | 1818546238554898432 |
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| author | Lucia N.M. Meko Marthinette Slabber-Stretch Corinna M. Walsh Salome H. Kruger Mariette Nel |
| author_facet | Lucia N.M. Meko Marthinette Slabber-Stretch Corinna M. Walsh Salome H. Kruger Mariette Nel |
| author_sort | Lucia N.M. Meko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The continued existence of undernutrition, associated with a steady increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, necessitates identification of factors contributing to this double burden of disease, in order for effective treatment and prevention programmes to be planned.
Aim: To determine the nutritional status of 13–15-year-old children in Bloemfontein and its association with socioeconomic factors.
Setting: Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa (2006).
Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study. Randomly selected children (n = 415) completed structured questionnaires on socioeconomic status. The children’s weight and height were measured and body mass index-for-age and height-for-age z-scores were computed according to World Health Organization growth standards in order to determine the prevalence of underweight, overweight, obesity and stunting. Waist circumference was measured to classify the children as having a high or very high risk for metabolic disease.
Results: Of the 415 children who consented to participate in the study, 14.9% were wasted and 3.4% were severely wasted. Only 6% of the children were overweight/obese. Significantly more boys (23.0%) were wasted than girls (10%) and severe stunting was also significantly higher in boys than in girls (10.3% and 4.2%, respectively). Children whose parents had graduate occupations were significantly more overweight/obese than those with parents working in skilled occupations. Stunting was significantly higher in low (31.4%) and medium (30.4%) socioeconomic groups compared to the high socioeconomic group (18.1%).
Conclusion: A coexistence of underweight and overweight was found and gender and parental occupation were identified as being predictors of nutritional status. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T07:50:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6dcc9c37dc7745a9a42fdc0ab3bc36a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2071-2928 2071-2936 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T07:50:32Z |
| publishDate | 2015-03-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-6dcc9c37dc7745a9a42fdc0ab3bc36a82022-12-22T00:32:27ZengAOSISAfrican Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine2071-29282071-29362015-03-0171e1e710.4102/phcfm.v7i1.751289School environment, socioeconomic status and weight of children in Bloemfontein, South AfricaLucia N.M. Meko0Marthinette Slabber-Stretch1Corinna M. Walsh2Salome H. Kruger3Mariette Nel4Nutrition and Dietetics, University of the Free StateNutrition and Dietetics, University of the Free StateNutrition and Dietetics, University of the Free StateSchool of Physiology and Nutrition, North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusBiostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free StateBackground: The continued existence of undernutrition, associated with a steady increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, necessitates identification of factors contributing to this double burden of disease, in order for effective treatment and prevention programmes to be planned. Aim: To determine the nutritional status of 13–15-year-old children in Bloemfontein and its association with socioeconomic factors. Setting: Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa (2006). Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study. Randomly selected children (n = 415) completed structured questionnaires on socioeconomic status. The children’s weight and height were measured and body mass index-for-age and height-for-age z-scores were computed according to World Health Organization growth standards in order to determine the prevalence of underweight, overweight, obesity and stunting. Waist circumference was measured to classify the children as having a high or very high risk for metabolic disease. Results: Of the 415 children who consented to participate in the study, 14.9% were wasted and 3.4% were severely wasted. Only 6% of the children were overweight/obese. Significantly more boys (23.0%) were wasted than girls (10%) and severe stunting was also significantly higher in boys than in girls (10.3% and 4.2%, respectively). Children whose parents had graduate occupations were significantly more overweight/obese than those with parents working in skilled occupations. Stunting was significantly higher in low (31.4%) and medium (30.4%) socioeconomic groups compared to the high socioeconomic group (18.1%). Conclusion: A coexistence of underweight and overweight was found and gender and parental occupation were identified as being predictors of nutritional status.https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/751 |
| spellingShingle | Lucia N.M. Meko Marthinette Slabber-Stretch Corinna M. Walsh Salome H. Kruger Mariette Nel School environment, socioeconomic status and weight of children in Bloemfontein, South Africa African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine |
| title | School environment, socioeconomic status and weight of children in Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| title_full | School environment, socioeconomic status and weight of children in Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | School environment, socioeconomic status and weight of children in Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | School environment, socioeconomic status and weight of children in Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| title_short | School environment, socioeconomic status and weight of children in Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| title_sort | school environment socioeconomic status and weight of children in bloemfontein south africa |
| url | https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/751 |
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