Abstract:

Aims: Obesity is a health problem caused by excessive fat deposition in the body, which spreads rapidly, threatening the age group of children as well as adults. When it occurs in childhood, it probably continues in adulthood. This study aims to determine the factors related to overweight and obesity in primary and secondary school children in Mersin. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out with the children aged between five and 14 years in primary and secondary schools in Mersin, following the school health activities done by Mersin Public Health Directorate. Minimum sample size was calculated as 1.735 and questionnaires were sent to 2.000 people considering the variables of the class and school location. The independent variables of the study were sociodemographic characteristics, feeding habits, time allocated for physical and other activities, children’s body mass index (BMI) categories according to the parents’ declarations and parents’ BMI categories according to their declarations. And, the dependent variable was the children’s BMI values calculated by our measurements. The data of 1.980 students were analyzed. Results: The mean age of the study group was 9.28±2.53 (minimum-maximum: 5-14) years, and 50.9% of them were male. It was found that 14.6% of the group were obese and 21.5% were overweight. While 38.3% of boys were in the overweight or obese category, this rate was 33.8% for girls (p>0.05). The prevalence of overweight or obesity was significantly higher in secondary school students than in primary school students (p<0.05). Conclusions: The factors affecting childhood obesity identified in the studies conducted in Turkey have also become apparent in the current research we did on the school children aged 5-14 years in Mersin.

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