Overweight and Obesity among Senior High School Students in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana

Abstract

Overweight and obesity have reached unprecedented levels worldwide and the WHO has described obesity as an „epidemic‟. Of great concern are the data pointing to the recent increase in the prevalence of obesity regardless of age group and country. Childhood and adolescence obesity are on the rise worldwide. Several factors have been associated with overweight and obesity, some of which are; diet, physical inactivity, age, sex, familial, socioeconomic status, childhood obesity. The objectives of the study were to determine the proportion of students who were overweight and obese using their body mass indices and to assess the risk factors associated with overweight and obesity among students in Senior High Schools in the Accra Metropolis. All students from two selected schools in the Accra Metropolitan Area were examined and their BMI-for-age determined. The students were interviewed for information regarding risk factors such as socioeconomic status, having fat relatives, physical activity, self perception before the age of 10 years and dietary habits. A case-control study was conducted using 97 cases (overweight students with BMI-for-age > 85th percentile) and 821 controls (with BMI-for-age between the 15th and 85th percentiles) to determine the risk factors which were significantly associated with overweight and obesity. Out of the total of 1133 students, 545 males and 588 females were examined, 97 (8.6%) were overweight with 14 (1.2%) being obese, 821 (72. 5%) were normal weight and 215 (19%) were underweight. Multiple logistic regression showed that overweight and obesity were associated with sex males odds ratio(OR) 0.14, 95% confidence interval(CI) of (0.69-0.26), having a fat relative ( OR) 2.34 ( CI, 0.12-44.85), watching TV<4 hours (OR) 0.67 (CI, 0.42-1.06), eating at most 3 meals a day (OR) 0.66 ( CI, 0.42-1.04). The prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity was 19%, 72.5%, 8.6%, 1.2% respectively. The risk factors associated with the group in this study were sex, age, having a fat relative, being overweight during childhood and socioeconomic status. Females were 7 times more likely to be overweight compared to males. Overweight (including obesity) has a colossal impact on physical, mental, and social ill health in many parts of the world. Without effective action, expanding waists in ageing populations and the associated health problems will present enormous financial burdens for future generations. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.