A STUDY OF THE PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN SCHOOL-GOING CHILDREN OF JAMSHEDPUR, JHARKHAND, INDIA

Background:  Childhood obesity is an emerging public health concern in India and worldwide. A school-based study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-going children and educate them about obesity and its ill effects on health. Methods: The present study is an observational cross-sectional study on 426 6- to 14 students (Boys: 217, Girls: 209) from randomly selected schools in Jamshedpur City, Jharkhand. WHO, Standard Age, and Sex-specific Growth Reference charts defined overweight and obesity. Modified B.G Prasad Classification for socioeconomic scale (2022) was adopted to assess the family’s socioeconomic status. Results: Based on World Health Organization BMI references among 426 children, 15.5% and 6.1% of children were found overweight and obese, respectively. Obesity in children was found to have a significant association (P = 0.032) with age. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher among upper socioeconomic-class children (P = 0.004). Conclusion: Overweight and Obesity is prevalent in the study population. The high familial income, private school, dietary patterns, and decreased physical activity among the urban population were identified as the major factors influencing the obesity status of school-going children.