Relationship between diet, physical activity and BMI in obese children 6 to 8 years

Introduction :Childhood obesity is a major public health challenge around the world as governments increasingly engage in different strategies to reduce extra weight and to do preventive measures in this community. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary intake, physical activity, and BMI in obese children as a crosssectional study . Method : This cross-sectional study was performed on 64 children aged 6 to 8 years at 6 months. The physical activity of children was assessed by a validated physical activity questionnaire using parent-based interviews. Dietary intake was also assessed using two dietary reminders. Children s height and weight were measured by using a standard instrument and protocol, and BMI was calculated from the weight split into squares of height. Nutritionist 4 software database and Adjusted Nutrition Table (USDA, Release 11, 1994) for Iranian foods were used to calculate daily and energy intake. Finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 23) and P-value <0.05 was considered as the significant level . Results : The results showed that only a few number of children followed the recommended guidelines for physicalactivity (12%) and dietary recommendations including eating more fruit (24%) and vegetables (17.5%). Overweight and obese children had less physical activity. (0.2, 95% CI = 0.04_ 0.88 OR =) .din Conclusion : Increased physical activity along with dietary advice will reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children. But more research is needed to examine the relationship between overweight and obesity. It seems that children do not follow dietary and physical activity guidelines and should be taken more measures to improve the situation.

Keywords:

Diet , Physical Activity , Body Mass Index , Children