Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 7–17 Years in Urban Mbarara, Uganda
Globally, overweight and obesity among children have been acknowledged as a growing public health concern. In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is high. In Uganda, there is a significant burden of overweight and obesity. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence...
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Wiley
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Advances in Public Health |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/5175550 |
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| author | Benedict Twinomugisha Abdon Marius Birungi |
| author_facet | Benedict Twinomugisha Abdon Marius Birungi |
| author_sort | Benedict Twinomugisha |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Globally, overweight and obesity among children have been acknowledged as a growing public health concern. In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is high. In Uganda, there is a significant burden of overweight and obesity. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and associated factors that influence overweight and obesity among primary school children in Southwestern Uganda. A cross-sectional study utilized a self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric tools to collect data. A three-stage sampling procedure was used to select four schools that participated in this study. A total of 422 children participated in our study. Participant’s weight and height were measured using SECA Scale, Model 885, and a wall-mounted stadiometer, respectively. Data were analyzed using STATA v11.0. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was descriptively analyzed. Associated factors were determined using bivariate and multivariate analysis. Findings revealed that 54.3% of participants were walking to school compared to 45.7% that were cycling/bicycling and 76.3% playing and doing household chores as opposed to 23.7% that spent their leisure time through reading and watching TV, 74.2% took more than two meals per day, and 79.4% often took vegetables and fruits compared to 20.6% that took them most of the time. The study found an overall prevalence of 20% for overweight/obesity. There was a statistical association between overweight/obesity and ownership of residence (O.R.: 0.4, 95% C.I.: 0.2–0.8), modes of transport (O.R.: 8.2, 95% C.I.: 3.4–20.0), leisure time activities (O.R.: 0.4, 95% C.I.: 0.2–0.7), frequency of consuming vegetables and fruits (O.R.: 2.8, 95% C.I.: 1.4–5.5), and the type of school attended (O.R.: 0.2, 95% C.I.: 0.1–0.4). However, only the mode of transport (A.O.R.: 5.0, 95% C.I.: 1.9–13.0) was independently associated with overweight/obesity on multivariate logistic regression analysis. Girls who participated in our study were more overweight than boys. Overweight/obesity existed more in private schools than public schools. Modes of transport were only found to be strongly associated with overweight/obesity. There is a need to establish evidence-based strategies to inform policy on prevention of childhood overweight/obesity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b136d7c3a8a3447389bb9352c9043a03 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2314-7784 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | Advances in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-b136d7c3a8a3447389bb9352c9043a032025-02-03T07:23:44ZengWileyAdvances in Public Health2314-77842024-01-01202410.1155/2024/5175550Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 7–17 Years in Urban Mbarara, UgandaBenedict Twinomugisha0Abdon Marius Birungi1Department of Research, Innovation and Community Engagement (DRICE)Institute of Health Policy and ManagementGlobally, overweight and obesity among children have been acknowledged as a growing public health concern. In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is high. In Uganda, there is a significant burden of overweight and obesity. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and associated factors that influence overweight and obesity among primary school children in Southwestern Uganda. A cross-sectional study utilized a self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric tools to collect data. A three-stage sampling procedure was used to select four schools that participated in this study. A total of 422 children participated in our study. Participant’s weight and height were measured using SECA Scale, Model 885, and a wall-mounted stadiometer, respectively. Data were analyzed using STATA v11.0. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was descriptively analyzed. Associated factors were determined using bivariate and multivariate analysis. Findings revealed that 54.3% of participants were walking to school compared to 45.7% that were cycling/bicycling and 76.3% playing and doing household chores as opposed to 23.7% that spent their leisure time through reading and watching TV, 74.2% took more than two meals per day, and 79.4% often took vegetables and fruits compared to 20.6% that took them most of the time. The study found an overall prevalence of 20% for overweight/obesity. There was a statistical association between overweight/obesity and ownership of residence (O.R.: 0.4, 95% C.I.: 0.2–0.8), modes of transport (O.R.: 8.2, 95% C.I.: 3.4–20.0), leisure time activities (O.R.: 0.4, 95% C.I.: 0.2–0.7), frequency of consuming vegetables and fruits (O.R.: 2.8, 95% C.I.: 1.4–5.5), and the type of school attended (O.R.: 0.2, 95% C.I.: 0.1–0.4). However, only the mode of transport (A.O.R.: 5.0, 95% C.I.: 1.9–13.0) was independently associated with overweight/obesity on multivariate logistic regression analysis. Girls who participated in our study were more overweight than boys. Overweight/obesity existed more in private schools than public schools. Modes of transport were only found to be strongly associated with overweight/obesity. There is a need to establish evidence-based strategies to inform policy on prevention of childhood overweight/obesity.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/5175550 |
| spellingShingle | Benedict Twinomugisha Abdon Marius Birungi Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 7–17 Years in Urban Mbarara, Uganda Advances in Public Health |
| title | Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 7–17 Years in Urban Mbarara, Uganda |
| title_full | Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 7–17 Years in Urban Mbarara, Uganda |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 7–17 Years in Urban Mbarara, Uganda |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 7–17 Years in Urban Mbarara, Uganda |
| title_short | Prevalence and Associated Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 7–17 Years in Urban Mbarara, Uganda |
| title_sort | prevalence and associated factors of overweight and obesity among primary school children aged 7 17 years in urban mbarara uganda |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/5175550 |
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