Abstract

Background: Adolescent obesity is a growing concern with the proportion of adolescents in the general population who are overweight and obese has doubled over the past two decades in developed and developing countries including India. It increases the risk of adult obesity as well as chronic health problems.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity using IOTF guidelines 2012, and to describe the determinants of adolescent overweight and obesity among school-going adolescents.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural and urban schools of Mysuru district, Karnataka, India. The schools were selected using simple random sampling and 467 students participated in the study. Data were collected through a self-administered pretested structured questionnaire.

Result: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among school-going adolescents in Mysuru district was 64(13.7%) and 28(5.9%) respectively. A female preponderance for both overweight 49(18.7%) and obesity 16(6.1%) was seen as compared to males. Determinants such as age, sex, history of obesity among parents, religion, and physical activity were found to be significantly associated with overweight and obesity.

Conclusion: Prevalence of overweight and obesity among school-going adolescents was found to be higher.

Key words: Adolescent, overweight and obesity, prevalence, southern India