Prevalence and risk factors of overweight and obesity among schoolchildren and adolescents in Algiers

摘要

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a period characterized by important psychological and physical appearance changes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study is the assessment of the frequency of different nutritional status grades of Algerian schoolchildren and adolescents. METHODS: We conducted a survey among 2 278 schoolchildren and adolescents of 8-18 years-old in the period 2013-2014. For each child the height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The prevalence of, overweight and obesity was assessed using the World Health Organization (WHO-2007) and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. Pearson's chi-square test was used to assess significant differences in prevalence. All analyses were completed using the SPSS statistical package, version 20.