انتشار زيادة الوزن والسمنة بين الأطفال دون سن الخامسة في بغداد

انتشار زيادة الوزن والسمنة بين الأطفال دون سن الخامسة في بغداد

د. سوزان عبد الحسين مسعد

دائرة صحة بغداد الكرخ / بغداد – العراق

د. شموس عادل جبار

دائرة صحة المثنى / المثنى – العراق

Abstract:

Background:Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. It is a worldwide problem that is affecting many middle income countries while high income country showed a plateau in childhood obesity. In Iraq and according to previous reports the prevalence of overweight among Iraqi children under 5 years of age reached to nearly 12%, a percent that is higher than the nearby countries.

Methods : A cross sectional study conducted on 445 children under 5 years old visiting PHC centers for consultations or vaccination. Sampling was done through multistage sampling technique. The data was summarized and presented as frequency, percentages, means and standard deviations. Chi–square test, Fischer exact, and One way Anova was performed to assess statistical association between defined dependent and independent variables.

Results : The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 7.6% and 11.7% respectively. There were significant association between age, family history of obesity, parents, educational level, crowding index and physical environment and child BMI. The study showed that introducing mixed feeding in the first six months and from 6-12 months, was significantly associated with high BMI. Physical activity and sleeping hours were associated with lower BMI.Conclusions:The prevalence of overweight and obesity is still high. Encourage initiatives that offer educational programs to parents and encourage the use of play grounds and discourage children intake of calorie-dense foods.

Keywords: Prevalence, Overweight, Obesity, Children under 5 years, Baghdad.