Familial Correlates of Adolescence obesity among Primary School Adolescents in Hawassa Town, Southern Ethiopia: School Based Case Control Study
Creators: name: Geta, Medhin
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2017

description: Background: Obesity epidemic and its consequences are now rapidly spreading in the developing countries including Ethiopia, especially in the affluent urban population. Obesity significantly elevates the risk of CVD, diabetes, insulin resistance and other metabolic disorders. There is a research gap on association between family based factors and obesity among primary school adolescents in Ethiopia. Objective: the main objective of the study was to assess familial correlates with obesity among primary school adolescent in Hawassa town. Methods: Institution based case control study was conducted from August, 2016 to November 2017 among 300 primary school adolescents aged 12–15 years in Hawassa town, southern Ethiopia. Study participants were selected using stratified multistage sampling from the schools by ownership as public and private primary schools. Parents were approached through their children. Body mass index was assessed to identify the cases (obeses) and controls (non obeses) using standardized techniques and WHO 2007 BMI-for-age classification. Interviewer administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the respondent"s exposure to several familial risk factors. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted by using STATA version 14 statistical software. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was calculated to assess the strength of associations. Results: A total of 100 cases and 200 controls were included in the analysis. After adjusting for potential confounders, children from overweight parents were about 13 times more likely to be obese compared to children with normal weight parents[AOR of 13.27, 95%CI (3.67-47.9)] and children from obese parents were about 32.4 times more likely to be obese compared to children with normal weight parents [AOR of 32.4, CI (8.1-130.4)]. In addition, income with corresponding AOR of 3.48, 95%CI (1.39 – 8.74), fathers" age (AOR of 0.14, 95%CI (0.03 – 0.79), mothers" education (AOR of 0.22, 95%CI (0.08 – 0.61), home availability of vegetables [AOR of 4.45, CI (1.67 – 11.89)], family meals frequency [AOR of 4.09 CI (1.64-10.2)], number of TV in the home[AOR of 22.34, CI (7.75 – 64.43], child feeding responsibility and monitoring level of the parents" were independently associated with childhood obesity. Conclusion: The current study findings showed that parental obesity history, parent child feeding practices, family home environment and parental role modeling behaviour are the most important determinants for adolescent obesity in this population. In the schools and family based health education program to increase awareness on these risk factors, parents should be taught about what a healthy weight is and a right body image for their children and correct use of growth charts or any valid charts helping monitoring child weight status in schools and different settings should be encouraged in order to reduce the future burden of obesity-associated chronic diseases.