Prevalence of overweight and obesity among school going children of 10-16 years age in government, aided and unaided schools of Tumkur city, Karnataka, India

Background: Childhood overweight and obesity are global problems that are on the rise. Obesity in children appears to increase the risk of subsequent morbidity, whether or not obesity persists into adulthood. The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide. In developing countries such as India, especially in urban populations, childhood obesity is emerging as a major health problem . The aim is to assess the magnitude of overweight and obesity in government aided and unaided schools of Tumkur city, India. Methods: This is a cross sectional study including a total of 2207 students, aged 10-16 years selected from 10 schools in Tumkur city, India was evaluated during Nov 2012 till April 2014. Recommended cut-off points for Indian children (IAP Classification 2012) were utilized to assess overweight and obesity. Results: Overall prevalence of overweight and obesity among school going children was 13.14%. It was more in boys (13.24%) than girls (13.04%), respectively. Prevalence was higher in unaided (16.8%) school children than in Government. (3.8%) and aided (9.4%) school children. Prevalence of childhood overweight was found to be 7.02% and prevalence of obesity was 6.12% . Conclusions: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children age 10-16 years in Tumkur city, India was found to be 13.14%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was more in unaided compared to government schools. Prevalence was 3.8% in government, 9.4%  among aided and highest in unaided (16.8%) school children. Overweight and obesity showed an increasing trend with age.