A study about Obesity among Preschool Children at Al-Zubair District

Abstract

Obesity is defined as an excess body fat in an individual. It is considered a chronic, non-communicable disease. The fundamental cause of obesity is a greater imbalance between energy intake and expenditure than is expected for normal growth and development. This study aims to estimate the level of obesity in preschool children and to find out association between body mass index (BMI) and different variables. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out involving preschool children in Alzubiar district, from October 2018, till April 2019. A total of 403 children shared in the study and they were chosen randomly from five kindergartens. The study included the following variables: age, gender, weight, height, BMI. The height and weight for each participant were measured by the working team and recorded on a special forma. This study showed that; about two thirds of children (64.8%) were at 4 years age, approximately equal sex distribution, nearly half of all participants (48.2%) were at risky group (over weight and obese), the youngest participants (those age 4 years) were at risky group more than others, female children (52%) were slightly more risky than males (48%). There was a high significant association between kindergarten and BMI at 0.01 levels. In conclusion, approximately half of involved children were at risky group, inverse relationship between the weight and the age of the children, the females were slightly more risky than males, and there is a significant association between kindergarten and BMI at 0.01 level.