Prevalence of obesity at 7-14 age children in a primary school

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Today, childhood obesity appears more strikingly in both developed and developing countries.The aim of this cross-sectional study was determining the prevalence of the obesity and the factors affecting it between 7-14 years old students from Yavuz Sultan Selim Primary School in Sungurlu province in Çorum city on March 2009. The questionnaire forms including descriptive information about the students and their families and risk factors of the obesity were given to the students. A total of 305 students length and weight were measured and their body mass index were calculated. Obesity were defined using World Health Organization definition. As a result 4.9 % of students were found obese, 12.5 % were overweight.The relationship between overweight and obese students in their age groups, the duration of their daily activities and the time they spend with tv and computer, breakfast meals intervals, having too many snacks between meals in a day, their mothers having been overweight found statistically significant.In conclusion, obesity is a major health problem more and more increased among children not only in big cities but also throughout towns in Turkey. For that reason, especially children should be informed and made conscious on healthy and balanced nourishment at schools, encouraged on physical activities, and as a common way, all the society should be well directed and well enlightened for the importance of this subject.