Prevalence of obesity in primary school children and comparison with body mass index curves

Introduction: Over the past few decades, we have seen an increase in the prevalence of obesity in different age groups, including children. Obesity in children can be diagnosed using Iranian, CDC, WHO and IOTF references. Because environmental and racial factors can be an influencing factor on anthropometric indices, BMI can also vary across communities. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity in children entering Mehriz elementary schools and comparing it with BMI reference curves. Method: In this cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study, 1209 students were enrolled in Mehriz primary school. Their gender, weight and height were recorded and then BMI was calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the square of the height in square meters. Determination of obesity was above the 95th percentile based on four references including Iranian reference, WHO، CDC and IOTF.Another questionnaire was completed to investigate some factors. Results: According to the findings of this study, the prevalence of obesity in primary school children in Mehriz city based on four WHO, CDC, IOTF, Iranian references were 6.2%, 6.9%, 3.8% and 6.9%. Conclusion: Prevalence of obesity among children entering Mehriz primary schools according to Iranian and WHO was equal and other estimated the prevalence of obesity to varying degrees. According to this study, the prevalence of obesity among children in this city is high and needs to be investigated .

Keywords:

Obesity , Children , Reference , Body Mass Index