Rural-urban Comparison in Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents of Asian Indian Origin

Objectives: To study whether the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is restricted by habitat (urban vs rural).

Methods: A total of 753 healthy children and adolescents, out of which 293 (159 boys and 134 girls) were collected Santiniketan (rural area) and 460 (241 boys and 219 girls) were from Calcutta and the suburbs (urban area), aged 8 to 18 years took part in the study. Participants were subsequently divided into 3 age groups: group I, 8 to 12 years; group II, 13 to 15 years, and group III, 16 to 18 years.

Results: It was observed that the overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study was 9.6% and 5.7%, respectively. Urban residence and high level of parental education are associated with overweight and obesity in children and adolescents (R(2) = 40.3%).

Conclusion: Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents is not restricted to any particular habitat and warrants early intervention if this global epidemic is to be checked.