Physical activity among obese school-aged children: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective

Obesity has become an epidemic health problem worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between physical activity with the incidence of obesity in school-aged children.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study involved 96 school-aged children. The standardized tools and procedures were used to measure the anthropometrical parameters. The nutritional status was determined using the WHO 2007 Anthropometric calculator for children aged 5–19 years. While physical activity among children was measured using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children. A Chi-Square test was used to analyze the relationship between the variables.

Results

The results showed that there was a significant relationship between physical activity and the occurrence of obesity among children (p = 0.004). The prevalence of obesity was higher among children with low physical activity than children with high physical activity (33.3% vs. 18.8%).

Conclusion

The level of physical activity is strongly related to the incidence of obesity among school-aged children.