Prevalence of and factors associated with overweight and obesity among nursery school children aged 3-6 years in Eldoret Municipality

Abstract

Childhood overweight and obesity is a serious emerging problem in both developed and developing countries. The developed world is already grappling with a proportionately high burden of obesity in children, with the developing countries experiencing a double burden of under nutrition and over nutrition. Obesity posses a significant public health threat to children as it has a significant impact on both their physical and psychological health. Furthermore, childhood overweight and obesity has been associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk factors in adult life. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among nursery school children aged 3-6 years in Eldoret Municipality and to identify the associated factors. Cross-sectional study of 320 nursery school children aged 3-6 years was carried out in 20 nursery schools sampled from Eldoret Municipality. Simple random sampling proportionate to each of the schools population size was used to select the children. A child’s anthropometric data, which was converted to Weight – for- Height z-scores, was used to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Anthropometric data was analyzed using WHO anthro software for child standards in monitoring and growth. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 12.0 and Epi Info version 3.4.3. Chi-square test of association and logistic regression (binary) was used to determine the significant variables affecting the prevalence of overweight and obesity. All p values <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. Results indicated that the prevalence of overweight was 13.4% and obesity 6.9%. Type of school, owning television, parent’s employment status and mode of transport to school were each independently significantly associated with overweight and obesity of the children. In conclusion, overweight and obesity exist in nursery school children in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya. Increase in physical activities should be ensured both at home and in the communities.

Key words: Overweight, Obesity, factors, children, prevalence