Abstract

Background: Obesity is one of the most common disorders encountered in clinical practice and has major public health implications. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity among Saudi school children is a cause of concern, as obesity is associated with several complications that increase both morbidity and mortality.

Aims & Objective: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children between 6-12 years as well as to identify the associated unhealthy dietary habits for overweight and obesity.

Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted including representative sample of primary schoolboys in Al-Iskan sector in Makkah Almukarramah. The sample size was distributed among the three primary school in Al-Iskan sector and determined as a percentage proportionally related to the total number of the student in each school. Self-administered questionnaire (with family help) including socio-demographic characteristic and detailed dietary history, was used for data collection. Trained staff collected anthropometric measurements of weight and height.

Results: The study included 258 male primary school children. Their age ranged between 6 and 12 years. The prevalence of overweight was12.4% and that of obesity was 20.2%. Among studied socio-demographic variables associated with overweight and obesity, birth weight above normal was significantly associated with them (p

Key words: Prevalence; Obesity; Body Mass Index; Schoolboys; Saudi Arabia