DIETARY INTAKE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL AND BIRTH WEIGHT AMONG OVERWEIGHT AND NORMAL WEIGHT GRADES 4 TO 6 PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN IN MAKATI
BY : DIVORAH V. AGUILA (MARCH 2008)
ABSTRACT :
THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IS CLEARLY APPARENT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ALTHOUGH IT IS MOST PREVALENT IN WESTERN SOCIETIES, RAPID INCREASE ARE ALSO SEEN IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. THESE INCREASES ARE SEEN AT ALL AGES, BUT THE INCREASE IN CHILD OBESITY IS THE MOST DRAMATIC. THEREFORE, FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY MUST BE IDENTIFIED TO DECREASE IF NOT STOP THE ESCALATING NUMBERS OF CHILDREN WITH THIS CONDITION. THIS STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) AND DIETARY INTAKE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND BIRTH WEIGHT AMONG GRADES 4-6 PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN IN MAKATI. THE RESPONDENTS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY WERE STUDENTS FROM PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN MAKATI CITY. THE CITY WAS SELECTED BASED ON ITS RANKING WITH THE HIGHEST PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN.
RESULTS OF THE STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT OVERWEIGHT RESPONDENTS HAVE HIGHER INTAKE OF CARBOHYDRATES, PROTEIN AND FATS THAN NORMAL WEIGHT RESPONDENTS. EXCEPT FOR CALCIUM, BOTH GROUP HAD ADEQUATE INTAKE OF NUTRIENTS - ENERGY, PROTEIN, VITAMINS A, C, THIAMIN, RIBOFLAVIN AND NIACIN. INTAKE OF IRON WAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE AMONG OVERWEIGHT RESPONDENTS BUT NOT AMONG THEIR NORMAL COUNTERPART. IN GENERAL, , THE CHILDREN CONSUMED A DIET HIGH IN FAT AND SUGAR. HOWEVER INTAKE OF THESE NUTRIENTS WAS HIGHER AMONG OVERWEIGHT THAN NORMAL WEIGHT CHILDREN. NORMAL WEIGHT CHILDREN WERE MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE THAN OVERWEIGHT CHILDREN WITH MEAN ACTIVITY SCORES OF 6.82 AND 2.76 POINTS, RESPECTIVELY. OVERWEIGHT CHILDREN SPENT MORE TIME WATCHING TELEVISION AND PLAYING COMPUTER OR VIDEO GAMES THAN NORMAL WEIGHT CHILDREN.
LOGISTICS REGRESSION WAS USED TO TEST THE ASSOCIATION OF BMI WITH DIET, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND BIRTH WEIGHT. WHEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS HELD CONSTANT, CHILDREN CONSUMING A DIET MORE THAN 100 PERCENT OF THEIR ENERGY REQUIREMENT WERE SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT THAN CHILDREN CONSUMING LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 100 PERCENT. CHILDREN WITH LOW PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (LESS THAN 5.00 POINTS) ARE 33 TIME MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT COMPARED TO CHILDREN WITH HIGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (GREATER THAN 5.00 POINTS) REGARDLESS OF AGE, SEX, DIETARY INTAKE.
BOYS WHO WERE BORN SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE AND LARGE FOR GESTATIONAL AGE ARE 1.85 AND 1.53 TIMES, RESPECTIVELY MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT THAN BOYS WHO WERE BORN AVERAGE FOR GESTATIONAL AGE. GIRLS WHO WERE BORN LARGE AND SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE ARE 1.93 AND 1.41 TIMES, RESPECTIVELY MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT THAN GIRLS WHO WERE BORN AVERAGE FOR GESTATIONAL AGE.
THESE SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS ONLY SHOWED THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDHOOD OVERWEIGHT ARE COMPLEX IN NATURE. THUS, IMMEDIATE ACTION MUST BE INITIATED TO PREVENT EXCESS WEIGHT GAIN AND TO TREAT THOSE CHILDREN WHO ARE ALREADY OVERWEIGHT. CHILDREN AT RISK OF DEVELOPING OBESITY AND ITS COMPLICATIONS MUST BE IDENTIFIED AND INTERVENTIONS BEGUN.
IT IS RECOMMENDED THEREFORE TO PROMOTE HEALTHY DIETARY BEHAVIOR AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT HOME AND IN SCHOOL. THIS INCLUDES HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES. INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, LIMIT CONSUMPTION OF FATTY AND SUGARY FOODS (ESPECIALLY AMONG OVERWEIGHT CHILDREN). IT IS ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT TV WATCHING BE LIMITED TO NOT MORE THAN TWO HOURS PER DAY. ENGAGE IN AT LEAST 30 MINUTES OF MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MOST DAYS OF THE WEEK, AND PARTICIPATE IN VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR 20 OR MORE MINUTES AT LEAST THREE DAYS PER WEEK.
FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE WHETHER SEX INFLUENCES THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BIRTH WEIGHT AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS LATER IN LIFE.
ABSTRACT :
THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IS CLEARLY APPARENT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ALTHOUGH IT IS MOST PREVALENT IN WESTERN SOCIETIES, RAPID INCREASE ARE ALSO SEEN IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. THESE INCREASES ARE SEEN AT ALL AGES, BUT THE INCREASE IN CHILD OBESITY IS THE MOST DRAMATIC. THEREFORE, FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY MUST BE IDENTIFIED TO DECREASE IF NOT STOP THE ESCALATING NUMBERS OF CHILDREN WITH THIS CONDITION. THIS STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) AND DIETARY INTAKE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND BIRTH WEIGHT AMONG GRADES 4-6 PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN IN MAKATI. THE RESPONDENTS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY WERE STUDENTS FROM PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN MAKATI CITY. THE CITY WAS SELECTED BASED ON ITS RANKING WITH THE HIGHEST PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN.
RESULTS OF THE STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT OVERWEIGHT RESPONDENTS HAVE HIGHER INTAKE OF CARBOHYDRATES, PROTEIN AND FATS THAN NORMAL WEIGHT RESPONDENTS. EXCEPT FOR CALCIUM, BOTH GROUP HAD ADEQUATE INTAKE OF NUTRIENTS - ENERGY, PROTEIN, VITAMINS A, C, THIAMIN, RIBOFLAVIN AND NIACIN. INTAKE OF IRON WAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE AMONG OVERWEIGHT RESPONDENTS BUT NOT AMONG THEIR NORMAL COUNTERPART. IN GENERAL, , THE CHILDREN CONSUMED A DIET HIGH IN FAT AND SUGAR. HOWEVER INTAKE OF THESE NUTRIENTS WAS HIGHER AMONG OVERWEIGHT THAN NORMAL WEIGHT CHILDREN. NORMAL WEIGHT CHILDREN WERE MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE THAN OVERWEIGHT CHILDREN WITH MEAN ACTIVITY SCORES OF 6.82 AND 2.76 POINTS, RESPECTIVELY. OVERWEIGHT CHILDREN SPENT MORE TIME WATCHING TELEVISION AND PLAYING COMPUTER OR VIDEO GAMES THAN NORMAL WEIGHT CHILDREN.
LOGISTICS REGRESSION WAS USED TO TEST THE ASSOCIATION OF BMI WITH DIET, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND BIRTH WEIGHT. WHEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS HELD CONSTANT, CHILDREN CONSUMING A DIET MORE THAN 100 PERCENT OF THEIR ENERGY REQUIREMENT WERE SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT THAN CHILDREN CONSUMING LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 100 PERCENT. CHILDREN WITH LOW PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (LESS THAN 5.00 POINTS) ARE 33 TIME MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT COMPARED TO CHILDREN WITH HIGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (GREATER THAN 5.00 POINTS) REGARDLESS OF AGE, SEX, DIETARY INTAKE.
BOYS WHO WERE BORN SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE AND LARGE FOR GESTATIONAL AGE ARE 1.85 AND 1.53 TIMES, RESPECTIVELY MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT THAN BOYS WHO WERE BORN AVERAGE FOR GESTATIONAL AGE. GIRLS WHO WERE BORN LARGE AND SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE ARE 1.93 AND 1.41 TIMES, RESPECTIVELY MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT THAN GIRLS WHO WERE BORN AVERAGE FOR GESTATIONAL AGE.
THESE SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS ONLY SHOWED THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDHOOD OVERWEIGHT ARE COMPLEX IN NATURE. THUS, IMMEDIATE ACTION MUST BE INITIATED TO PREVENT EXCESS WEIGHT GAIN AND TO TREAT THOSE CHILDREN WHO ARE ALREADY OVERWEIGHT. CHILDREN AT RISK OF DEVELOPING OBESITY AND ITS COMPLICATIONS MUST BE IDENTIFIED AND INTERVENTIONS BEGUN.
IT IS RECOMMENDED THEREFORE TO PROMOTE HEALTHY DIETARY BEHAVIOR AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT HOME AND IN SCHOOL. THIS INCLUDES HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES. INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, LIMIT CONSUMPTION OF FATTY AND SUGARY FOODS (ESPECIALLY AMONG OVERWEIGHT CHILDREN). IT IS ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT TV WATCHING BE LIMITED TO NOT MORE THAN TWO HOURS PER DAY. ENGAGE IN AT LEAST 30 MINUTES OF MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MOST DAYS OF THE WEEK, AND PARTICIPATE IN VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR 20 OR MORE MINUTES AT LEAST THREE DAYS PER WEEK.
FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE WHETHER SEX INFLUENCES THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BIRTH WEIGHT AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS LATER IN LIFE.