Kakutia Natia, Caudle William Michael, Kazzi Ziad N, Sturua Lela, Davit Zarnadze Shalva, Mebonia Nana
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
BMC Nutr. 2025 Jan 13;11(1):9. doi: 10.1186/s40795-024-00974-3.
Childhood overweight and obesity are significant global public health challenges that affect approximately 340 million children worldwide. In Georgia, the prevalence of childhood obesity is alarming, with approximately 28% of 7-year-old children classified as overweight or obese in 2019. This study aimed to investigate the key factors associated with overweight and obesity among school-age children in Georgia.
Data from the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative Survey (COSI), which was conducted in 2022, was analyzed. The study involved 3,334 children from 245 schools across the region. Anthropometric measurements and a structured questionnaire were utilized to evaluate body weight, dietary behaviors, physical activity behaviors, parental education, household socioeconomic status, and body mass index (BMI).
Among second-grade school children in Georgia, 17.2% were overweight and 11.0% were obese, with higher percentages of boys (30.0%) than girls (26.3%). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was greater in urban-dwelling children (30.3%) than in rural children (23.6%). Significant associations were found between BMI and living area (p < 0.001), playing outside (p = 0.01), passive modes of transportation (e.g., cars) for school travel (p < 0.05), parental education (p = 0.03) and parental body weight (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed in the prevalence of various dietary behaviors or screen time between normal-weight and overweight/obese children.
This study revealed significant associations between body weight status and certain demographic and lifestyle factors, highlighting the critical role of promoting physical activity, encouraging active transportation (e.g., walking or cycling to school) and raising parental awareness to address childhood overweight and obesity. Future interventions should prioritize creating a supportive environment for healthy behaviors and implementing early screening measures to prevent potential complications and improve overall health outcomes in children.
儿童超重和肥胖是重大的全球公共卫生挑战，影响着全球约3.4亿儿童。在格鲁吉亚，儿童肥胖率令人担忧，2019年约28%的7岁儿童被归类为超重或肥胖。本研究旨在调查格鲁吉亚学龄儿童超重和肥胖的相关关键因素。
分析了2022年进行的儿童肥胖监测倡议调查（COSI）的数据。该研究涉及该地区245所学校的3334名儿童。采用人体测量和结构化问卷来评估体重、饮食行为、身体活动行为、父母教育程度、家庭社会经济状况和体重指数（BMI）。
在格鲁吉亚二年级学童中，17.2%超重，11.0%肥胖，男孩（30.0%）的比例高于女孩（26.3%）。城市儿童超重/肥胖的患病率（30.3%）高于农村儿童（23.6%）。发现BMI与居住地区（p<0.001）、户外玩耍（p=0.01）、上学的被动交通方式（如汽车）（p<0.05）、父母教育程度（p=0.03）和父母体重（p<0.05）之间存在显著关联。然而，正常体重儿童与超重/肥胖儿童在各种饮食行为或屏幕使用时间的患病率上没有观察到显著差异。
本研究揭示了体重状况与某些人口统计学和生活方式因素之间的显著关联，突出了促进身体活动、鼓励积极交通方式（如步行或骑自行车上学）以及提高父母意识以解决儿童超重和肥胖问题的关键作用。未来的干预措施应优先为健康行为创造支持性环境，并实施早期筛查措施，以预防潜在并发症并改善儿童的整体健康状况。
