Prevalence of underweight and overweight in children in the primary schools of municipality of Dion Pierias

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children in the municipality of Dion, Pierias, Greece.

Material-Methods: The sample consisted of 752 schoolchildren (395 boys and 357 girls), 6 to 11 years old from the six primary schools of the municipality. Weight, height, and waist circumference were measured. The gender- and age-specific Body Mass Index (BMI) cut-off points by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) were used in order to define underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity.

Results: Of all schoolchildren, 3.7% were underweight, 61.3% had a normal BMI, 22.9% were overweight and 12.1% were characterized as obese, without differences between genders. Among overweight and obese children, the highest percentages were observed at the ages of 8 (38.5%, Ν=53) and 10 (38.9%, Ν=51) years. Mean BMI and waist circumference of underweight and normal weight children of all ages were significantly lower than those of their overweight and obese schoolmates (P<0.05). In addition, BMI of obese children of all ages was higher than BMI of overweight ones (P<0.05), while underweight children of 8, 10 and 11 years of age had lower waist circumference compared to normal weight children.

Conclusion: These results confirm the emergence of obesity epidemic among children in Greece in recent years. More active interventions may be needed to encounter the phenomenon focusing on appropriate changes in dietary intake and physical activity.