Weight management among school-aged children and adolescents: a quantitative assessment in a Ghanaian municipality
Abstract Background Childhood and adolescent overweight, obesity and underweight have become an issue of grave concern to both the developed and developing countries in context of global burden of non-communicable diseases. Unhealthy weight status is a significant public health issue for developing...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2019-10-01
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| Series: | BMC Pediatrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12887-019-1772-4 |
| _version_ | 1828767992932990976 |
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| author | Daniel Gyamfi Christian Obirikorang Emmanuel Acheampong Evans Adu Asamoah Bernard Berko Sampong Emmanuella Nsenbah Batu Enoch Odame Anto |
| author_facet | Daniel Gyamfi Christian Obirikorang Emmanuel Acheampong Evans Adu Asamoah Bernard Berko Sampong Emmanuella Nsenbah Batu Enoch Odame Anto |
| author_sort | Daniel Gyamfi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Childhood and adolescent overweight, obesity and underweight have become an issue of grave concern to both the developed and developing countries in context of global burden of non-communicable diseases. Unhealthy weight status is a significant public health issue for developing countries, of which Ghana is not excluded. This study evaluated the prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight and its related factors among school-aged children and adolescents. Methods A total of 1004 participants were randomly selected from six schools. A structured questionnaire on demography and socioeconomic status of students’ parents/guardians was completed by the selected students. Anthropometric parameters were measured, and body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. BMI-for-age z-scores were used to categorize anthropometric data of the children as underweight, normal, overweight or obese. A cut-off value of > 0.50 was used to define obesity by WHtR. Results Overweight prevalence of 13.8% and 12.6 was observed among basic school and high school students respectively based on BMI classification. Obesity prevalence of 8.8% was found in basic school students and 8.9% among high school students. Underweight was observed in 114 (11.3%) basic school students and 86 (8.6%) high school students. There was a difference in sex prevalence in unhealthy weight-behaviours; with more girls being overweight (19.4% vs 7.6%, p < 0.001) and obese (10.2% vs. 7.3%, p = 0.177) compared to boys. High WHtR found in 10.5% of basic students and 5.0% of high school students, with a statistical difference. Overweight/obesity was significantly associated with taking snacks before bed among basic school students [aOR = 10.45(5.95–18)] and high school students [aOR = 10.23(5.95–18.37)] respectively. Watching TV [aOR = 0.39(0.22–0.70)], sleeping during leisure periods [aOR = 0.43(0.23–0.81)] and bicycling as a means of transport [aOR = 0.37(0.19–0.72)] to school was protective of obesity among basic school students. Conclusion High prevalence of unhealthy weight-related behaviours was observed among school-aged children in the Bekwai Municipality. Snacking before bed was a major factor promoting obesity among school-aged children while leisure behaviours such as TV watching, and sleeping were protective of obesity. Therefore, it is recommended to promote and support healthy eating habits among school-aged children which are likely beneficial in reducing the risk of childhood unhealthy weight-related behaviours. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T07:38:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a3117cb800684d64a936e2ae4290ca77 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2431 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T07:38:44Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Pediatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-a3117cb800684d64a936e2ae4290ca772022-12-22T01:15:39ZengBMCBMC Pediatrics1471-24312019-10-0119111010.1186/s12887-019-1772-4Weight management among school-aged children and adolescents: a quantitative assessment in a Ghanaian municipalityDaniel Gyamfi0Christian Obirikorang1Emmanuel Acheampong2Evans Adu Asamoah3Bernard Berko Sampong4Emmanuella Nsenbah Batu5Enoch Odame Anto6Department of Medical Diagnostics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)Department of Medical Diagnostics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)Abstract Background Childhood and adolescent overweight, obesity and underweight have become an issue of grave concern to both the developed and developing countries in context of global burden of non-communicable diseases. Unhealthy weight status is a significant public health issue for developing countries, of which Ghana is not excluded. This study evaluated the prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight and its related factors among school-aged children and adolescents. Methods A total of 1004 participants were randomly selected from six schools. A structured questionnaire on demography and socioeconomic status of students’ parents/guardians was completed by the selected students. Anthropometric parameters were measured, and body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. BMI-for-age z-scores were used to categorize anthropometric data of the children as underweight, normal, overweight or obese. A cut-off value of > 0.50 was used to define obesity by WHtR. Results Overweight prevalence of 13.8% and 12.6 was observed among basic school and high school students respectively based on BMI classification. Obesity prevalence of 8.8% was found in basic school students and 8.9% among high school students. Underweight was observed in 114 (11.3%) basic school students and 86 (8.6%) high school students. There was a difference in sex prevalence in unhealthy weight-behaviours; with more girls being overweight (19.4% vs 7.6%, p < 0.001) and obese (10.2% vs. 7.3%, p = 0.177) compared to boys. High WHtR found in 10.5% of basic students and 5.0% of high school students, with a statistical difference. Overweight/obesity was significantly associated with taking snacks before bed among basic school students [aOR = 10.45(5.95–18)] and high school students [aOR = 10.23(5.95–18.37)] respectively. Watching TV [aOR = 0.39(0.22–0.70)], sleeping during leisure periods [aOR = 0.43(0.23–0.81)] and bicycling as a means of transport [aOR = 0.37(0.19–0.72)] to school was protective of obesity among basic school students. Conclusion High prevalence of unhealthy weight-related behaviours was observed among school-aged children in the Bekwai Municipality. Snacking before bed was a major factor promoting obesity among school-aged children while leisure behaviours such as TV watching, and sleeping were protective of obesity. Therefore, it is recommended to promote and support healthy eating habits among school-aged children which are likely beneficial in reducing the risk of childhood unhealthy weight-related behaviours.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12887-019-1772-4ObesityOverweightUnderweightSchool-aged childrenAdolescent |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Gyamfi Christian Obirikorang Emmanuel Acheampong Evans Adu Asamoah Bernard Berko Sampong Emmanuella Nsenbah Batu Enoch Odame Anto Weight management among school-aged children and adolescents: a quantitative assessment in a Ghanaian municipality BMC Pediatrics Obesity Overweight Underweight School-aged children Adolescent |
| title | Weight management among school-aged children and adolescents: a quantitative assessment in a Ghanaian municipality |
| title_full | Weight management among school-aged children and adolescents: a quantitative assessment in a Ghanaian municipality |
| title_fullStr | Weight management among school-aged children and adolescents: a quantitative assessment in a Ghanaian municipality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Weight management among school-aged children and adolescents: a quantitative assessment in a Ghanaian municipality |
| title_short | Weight management among school-aged children and adolescents: a quantitative assessment in a Ghanaian municipality |
| title_sort | weight management among school aged children and adolescents a quantitative assessment in a ghanaian municipality |
| topic | Obesity Overweight Underweight School-aged children Adolescent |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12887-019-1772-4 |
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