Determinants of Overweight and Obesity Among Primary Four to Seven Pupils in Selected Schools in Mukono and Kampala City, Uganda.

Abstract

Background to the study Childhood obesity on the worldwide is still increasingly recognized as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. This is mainly attributed to the global nutritional transition from consuming healthy to less healthful diets. In Uganda, broad based interventions that have been instituted such as support policies and population-wide initiatives that include nutrition labeling, food taxes, and social marketing campaigns are yet to yield results. Purpose and problem statement The study was a way of assessing the determinants of childhood overweight and obesity among pupils attending schools. This was mainly because fewer interventions in overweight and obesity would predispose pupils to many diseases that would render the tomorrow generation unproductive. Methodology The study utilized a cross-sectional, descriptive study design in which questionnaires and interviews were administered to 409 pupils in Kampala city and Mukono district alongside their head teachers as key informants. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analyzed. WHO Anthroplus software was used to calculate the Z-scores for the pupils. The Pearson’s chisquare was used to establish factors influencing overweight and obesity amongst the children. Qualitative data was analyzed using a narrative approach. Findings and recommendations The study found out that the prevalence of overweight and obesity stands at 4.1% and 3.8%, respectively. It also established that behavioral factors like feeding habits in terms of the number of meals normally consumed per day and phyco-social factors do not significantly contribute to the nutrition status in overweight and obesity. However, gender and age of the pupil, family economic status, the means of transport, family history of obesity, physical activities alongside the type of school are contributing factors to overweight and obesity in pupils. Based on the study findings, we recommend among others, that government and non-government organizations leverage items of knowledge through effortless sensitization to both the parents and pupils on the implications of overweight and obesity. This would help to develop concerted efforts towards averting the growing trends of overweight and obesity among primary pupils attending schools. Also, the ministry of education and sports through its examining body the Uganda National Examinations Board should find ways of extending some marks to children involved in school physical activities.