Background: Childhood obesity is currently a major health problem in many countries of the world.
Aims & Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and describe the risk factors among primary school male children in Al-Madinah Al- Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. It is our intension that these data can be useful in planning appropriate intervention programs targeting school children.
Material and Methods: This is a cross sectional descriptive study included 197 primary-school children aged 9 to 14 years living in Al-Madinah Al- Munawarah city. A structured questionnaire was constructed to collect information from the subjects. After an interview and a review of clinical examination records, height and weight were measured.
Results: In this study, 49 (24.9%) of 197 children were obese and 30 (15.2%) were overweight. Food consuming behaviors were strongly associated with childhood obesity in the variables eating too much (p = 0.001), arguing if say enough or stop eating (p< 0.001), demanding food while still eating (p = 0.001) and demanding food between meals (p = 0.021). Personality behavioral variables were strongly associated with childhood obesity in the variables complaint being overweight (p< 0.001), complaint being unattractive (p < 0.001), complaint being not fitting in clothes (p< 0.001), complaint being teased (p = 0.009).
Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children in Al-Madinah Al- Munawarah is high. Multiple strategies and interventions are warranted to prevent overweight and obesity related risk behavior in school-aged children.
Key words: Childhood Obesity: Risk Factors; Lifestyle Behaviour; Saudi Arabia
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