Childhood overweight and obesity amongst primary school children in Hai Phong City, Vietnam.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Childhood obesity is a rising health concern in Vietnam, however, research in this area is not extensive. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, and to study associations between weight status and selected lifestyle factors, such as diet and physical activity levels, among children aged 6-10 years in Hai Phong City, Vietnam.

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN

Two hundred and seventy-six children from an urban and a rural primary school participated in this cross-sectional study. Data on weight, height and waist circumference were used to calculate BMI, and waist-height ratio to determine the proportion of children who were overweight, obese and had high central adiposity. Information on diet, physical activity and socioeconomic status of families was collected using questionnaires.

RESULTS

Prevalences of overweight, obesity and high abdominal adiposity were 11.2%, 10.1% and 19.9%, respectively. Children who completed >=60 minutes of physical activity daily were 50% and 80% less likely to be overweight and have high abdominal adiposity, respectively. Computer usage increased the odds of overweight and high abdominal adiposity by 4.5 and 3.9 times, respectively. Mothers with higher education and income levels increased the risk of their children being overweight (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Physical inactivity and high maternal education and income levels increased the risk of childhood overweight and obesity in this cohort. Future interventions should target parents and their children by providing both with educational modules centred on healthy eating habits, parental feeding practices and strategies for increasing physical activity.