International Journal of Medicine and

Pharmaceutical Science (IJMPS)

ISSN(P): 2250-0049; ISSN(E): 2321-0095
Vol. 5, Issue 6, Dec 2015, 39-42
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

A STUDY OF PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IN ADOLESCENTS OF A SELECT

PRIMARY URBAN HEALTH CENTRE OF NAVI MUMBAI
SHYAM MORE1, RAHUL PEDDAWAD2, NITIN SIPPY3, SUMEDHA JOSHI4 & SHIRISH PATIL5
1

Research Scholar, Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, D.Y. Patil University, Navi Mumbai, India

2
3

Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, D.Y. Patil University, Navi Mumbai, India

Associate Professor, Health & Hospital Management, School of Management, D.Y. Patil University, Navi Mumbai, India
4

Professor HOD, Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, D.Y. Patil University, Navi Mumbai, India
5

Dean, School of Medicine, D.Y. Patil University, Navi Mumbai, India

ABSTRACT
Obesity is a common nutritional disorder and a major public health hurdle. It is defined as abnormal growth of
the adipose tissue either due to an enlargement of fat cell size (hypertrophic obesity) or an increase in fat cell no (hyper
plastic obesity) or a combination of both. (11) The risk factors for Obesity are Physical Inactivity, Unhealthy, High Fat
Diet and Genetic Predisposition etc. Obesity is often expressed as Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is an index of weight to
height ratio and is used to categorize underweight, overweight and obesity in men and women.

Received: Nov 12, 2015; Accepted: Nov 20, 2015; Published: Nov 24, 2015; Paper Id.: IJMPSDEC20155

INTRODUCTION

Original Article

KEYWORDS: Body Mass Index, Diet and Genetic Predisposition

Obesity which is known to be due to increase is a major public health burden in both developed and
developing nations and is one of the most significant factors contributing to bad health.Overweight and Obesity
are the fifth leading cause of Global Deaths. In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults, 20 years and older were obese.
Of these, over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.(12)In India, 1.3 percent males and 2.5
percent females aged more than 20 years were obese in the year 2008.(13) Obese patients are at an increased risk for
developing many medical problems, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension,
dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, hyperuricemia and gout, and
osteoarthritis.(14) Thus, Obesity is known to contribute positively to an increased morbidity and mortality
ratio.Lack of Physical Exercise, Faulty and High Fat diet, Genetic Pre- Dispositions, Endocrine Factors, Use of
Drugs like Cortico-steroids are the risk factors commonly linked to the presence of obesity.The Parameter used to
assess the presence of obesity clinically is the Body Mass Index,defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the
square of height in meters.(kg/m2) The Classification of Adults according to BMI is as follows
Table 1
Classification

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BMI

Underweight

<18.50

Normal Range
Overweight

18.50-24.99
>_25.00

Risk of Comorbidities
Low (But risk of
other clinical
problems increased )
Average

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Shyam More, Rahul Peddawad, Nitin Sippy, Sumedha Joshi & Shirish Patil

Pre- Obese
Obese Class 1
Obese Class 2
Obese Class 3
Source: (15)

Table 1: Contd.,
25-29.99
Increased
30-34.99
Moderate
35-39-99
Severe
>-40.00
Very Severe

The more the BMI, the greater the risk of various ailments such as Type 2 diabetes, Insulin Resistance,
Hypertension, Osteo -Arthritis of the Knees,Poly Cystic Ovarian Disorder, Cancer etc. Thus to prevent various health
hazards due to obesity, it is necessary for emphasizing on the prevention and control of weight. Prevention should begin in
childhood itself. Good food habits, a healthy diet, physical activity are some of the key factors to be considered. Ample
evidence indicates that weight loss, even if moderate, can improve health stats and lessen the incidence of Obesity related
disease.(16)
Aims and Objectives

Primary Aim: To assess for prevalence of obesity in a group of patients visiting a Primary Health Care Centre for
routine check up

Secondary Aim: To emphasize on the importance of weight maintenance to curb Obesity and Overweight and
other co-morbidities linked to them.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A prospective study based on 196 patients visiting the primary health care centre for a routine checkup.Body
Mass Index was calculated using weight to height ratio along with Body Fat Index and Basal Metabolic Rate.
Study Design and Setting Prospective Study for pooling analysis, Navi Mumbai.

RESULTS
Amongst the 196 participated, in the age group of 1018 years who participated in the study, 44.2% were males
and 55.8% were females, of which prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be 13.7% and 5.9%, respectively
The sex-wise distribution showed a female preponderance for both overweight (18.7%) and obesity (6.1%) as compared to
males. The proportion of overweight/obese was higher among late adolescents (17.5%/14.8%). Those consuming mixed
diet had a higher preponderance for overweight (18.9%) and obesity (6.9%); and those residing in urban area had a higher
prevalence of overweight (16.6%) and obesity (7.0%) as compared to rural and was higher in those with a family income
above 5000 per month (11.1%) for overweight and than for obesity (8.8%). The prevalence of overweight (13.6%) and
obesity (13.6%) was more among those with a history of obesity in the family. A history of watching television more than
an hour daily showed a higher prevalence for overweight (16.2%) and obesity (5.6%) [Table 2].

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.4638

NAAS Rating: 3.54

A Study of Prevalence of Obesity in Adolescents of a Select Primary Urban Health Centre of Navi Mumbai

41

Table 2: Sociodemographic Profile of Study Participants as per Body Mass Index Criteria (IOTF Classification)

The age-wise prevalence of overweight/obesity was higher among late adolescents (32.4%), and it was found to
be statistically significant. Similarly, sex, history of obesity among parents, religion, and physical activity were found to be
statistically significant, whereas birth order, residence, number of members in the family, daily exercise, number of hours
spent in watching television, and junk food consumption were statistically not significant [Table 3].
Table 3: Association of Determinants Contributing to Overweight/Obesity among Adolescents

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Shyam More, Rahul Peddawad, Nitin Sippy, Sumedha Joshi & Shirish Patil

CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents was found to be higher. Awareness-creating
programs for schoolchildren and teachers regarding obesity and its impact on health are required. Increase in physical
activities such as exercise, sports, and outdoor activities at schools and home should be emphasized upon. Emphasis should
also be given for prevention and control of obesity in school health program by training the school teachers in detection of
obesity among adolescents using feasible scales such as BMI at school level.
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Impact Factor (JCC): 5.4638

NAAS Rating: 3.54