Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children Aged 6-12 Years in Yazd, Iran in 2022

Naser Ali  Mirhosseini; Hossein  Lojje; Forouzan  Emaeili Dahaj; Seyedeh Mahdieh  Namayandeh

doi:10.18502/jnfs.v10i2.18535

Naser Ali Mirhosseini Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Hossein Lojje Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Forouzan Emaeili Dahaj Stem Cell Biology Research Center, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Seyedeh Mahdieh Namayandeh Research Center of Statistical Modeling of Health Care Data, Afshar Hospital Research Development Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jnfs.v10i2.18535

Keywords: Obesity; Overweight; Children; Yazd..

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a major public health problem among children and has emerged as a significant public health challenge in the 21^st century. It is associated with the risk of complications in childhood and increased morbidity and mortality in adulthood. This study investigated the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 6-12 years in Yazd, Iran in 2022. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 6353 children using cluster sampling to determine the prevalence of obesity among 6-12 years students. Results: A total of 654 (9.86%) and 350 (5.50%) of children were obes and overweight, respectively. From 3098 boys, 113 (3.64%) were overweight and 331 (10.68%) were obese. Among 3255 girls, 237 (7.28%) of them were overweight and 323 (9.92%) were obese. Girls were almost twice as likely to be overweight, while there was no significant difference in obesity between boys and girls. Conclusion: A significant increase in obesity among primary school students in recent years was observed.