Childhood obesity: Assessing the prevalence during child development periods (5-12 years) in Yewa community, Ogun state, Nigeria

Pages: 209-214
Olorunfunmi I. Solana, Opeoluwa C. Ogunwale, Gafar B. Ogungbayi45Yewande O. Uthman-Akinhanmi (Department of Home Science and Hospitality Management, College of Agricultural Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, P.M.B. 0012, 1,2,3,45Ayetoro, Ogun State, Nigeria)
Ibikunle F. Olaleru (Farming System Research Program, National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria)

This study assessed the prevalence of obesity in Yewa Community among children aged 5 – 12 years. This incidence began ignorantly and is likely to continue through adulthood with histories and higher risk of non-communicable diseases. The dietary requirement variations from person to person also depended on age, gender, lifestyle and degree of physical activity. Hence, a cross-sectional study using multi-stage random sampling was carried out using a structured questionnaire administered with the authorizations of children’s parents and Community Health Unit of Yewa North Local Government. Data collected from 126 respondents were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, from which the prevalence of obesity revealed 23.8% obese while only 33.3% had normal weight and 38.9% of the obese were family hereditary. An excellent percentage of children (91.3%) were fed breakfast daily. There was a significant relationship between the dietary pattern of the children (5 – 12 years) and the socio-economic characteristics of the subjects parents (p < 0.05), as well as with between dietary pattern and the prevalence of obesity of children. The psychological evaluation indicates that 66.7% of the children and also the parents were ready to make changes to manage their weight, while only 31.0% of the parents are concerned about obese children.