1Reader, Dept of Community Medicine, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India
2Intem, MH, Secunderabad
3Psychiatrist, Composite Hospital, Central Reserve Police Force, Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir
4OIC, Station Health Organisation, INS, Rajali, Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu
5Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Meenakshi Medical College & Research Institute, Enathur, Tamil Nadu
*Corresponding author email: sukhmeetminhas@yahoo.com
Online published on 21 October, 2013.
Individuals whose Body Mass Index exceeds the age-gender-specific 95th percentile are overweight; while those with BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles are at risk of overweight. The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. Children are becoming overweight at younger age. Currently 10% of children worldwide are either overweight or obese. The present study was undertaken to study the anthropometric measurements and determine the prevalence of overweight amongst school girls in the age group of 5–8 years in a school of Pune. Methods: Anthropometric measurements of the study subjects were studied by conducting a cross sectional descriptive study. All the 312 girl students, aged 5 to 8 years enrolled in the school during the study period were studied.
15.4% ofthe girls were found to be overweight while 5.4% are at risk of overweight.
With increasing age, more girls become overweight and at risk of overweight. This increase is steady as the age increases from 5 to 8 years.
Anthropometry, overweight, children, urban, girls
