A Study on Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight among Adolescent Girls

Abstract

The unabated rise in the prevalence of overweight in adolescents is one of the most alarming public health issues facing the world. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was determined among 732 affluent adolescent girls of Bengaluru. The results indicated that 21.17% of the girls were overweight and 13.38% were obese. Information regarding knowledge, attitude and dietary & lifestyle practices of 98 obese and 155 overweight adolescent girls was collected using a structured questionnaire. It was seen that although 49% of the adolescent girls had fair knowledge, and all the subjects had positive attitudes towards nutrition and healthy lifestyle, a negative correlation was seen between Knowledge and Practice; and Attitude and Practice. Faulty dietary practices such as irregular meal pattern, frequent consumption of energy dense, high calorie food and drinks and physical inactivity were seen to be the main causes of obesity and overweight in the girls. It was also seen that the intake of protein and fat was significantly higher (p<0.05) than the RDA for obese and overweight adolescents.