Evaluation of the Change in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Schoolchildren in South-west Turkey from 2005 to 2014

BACKGROUND: To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among schoolchildren in our region and to compare the results with previous studies conducted in the same region in 2005 and 2009. METHODS: This study was conducted at seven primary and three high schools in the center of the province of Isparta, Turkey in 2014, randomly selected for two studies of obesity five and nine years previously. Students were weighed and measured, and BMI was calculated. The results were then compared with those from 2005 and 2009. RESULTS: The study consisted of 7116 students, 3445 (48.4%) females, and with a mean age of 11.7±2.7 yr (range 5.8–18.9 yr). The prevalence of overweight was 13.6% and that of obesity 9.9%. When the data were compared with the 2005 and 2009 studies, a statistically significant increase was determined in the prevalence of overweight (X(2) = 4.826, P=0.0280 and X(2) =19.012, P<0.0001). The prevalence of obesity in the 2005 and 2009 studies was 11.6% and 12.5%, compared to 9.9% this study. The decrease observed in this study was statistically significant (X(2)=8.720, P=0.0031 and X(2)=20.708, P<0.0001). The total prevalence’s of overweight and obesity combined were 23.8%, 23.5% and 23.5% for 2005, 2009 and 2014, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of combined overweight and obesity was stable over the nine years, but there was significant increase in the prevalence of overweight. Population-based preventive strategies, therefore, need to be maintained and intensified.