Epidemiology and Etiology of Obesity in Children and Youth of Sarajevo Canton

Abstract

The aims of the study were to estimate the prevalence of excessive weight in infants and school-age children in Sarajevo Canton, to isolate the main causative agents and to propose a strategy for its efficient prevention. The methods included anthropometry and originally designed questionnaire. Calculated body mass index was classified according to the criteria proposed by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The research included 3608 students from elementary and secondary schools from Sarajevo Canton. Nearly 1/5 of subjects had excessive body weight while 12.49% of students were malnourished. Elementary school lower graders had the highest grade of excessive weight, while the secondary school students exhibited the lowest grade of excessive weight. During school hours, about 42.47% of students were fed on bakery produces and snacks. Non-sparkling, thickened juices are frequently consumed beverages (20.65%), second only to water (51.82%). 58.15% of children consume sweets on daily basis. This is even more prominent among secondary school students (80.85%). Only 1/3 of students practice sports on daily basis, while 8.51% of them rarely engage in sports. Elementary school lower grade students had the lowest level of activity while the secondary school students were the most active. As many as 27.56% students spend two hours or more sitting by the computer or TV set. The most significant mediators of excessive weight gain are sedentary life-style, frequent consumption of sweets and thickened juices and unsuitable nutrition during school hours. Continuous preventive and therapeutically activities must be undertaken among as wide population as possible.

Relationship Between Obesity, Physical Activity, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Levels in Children and Adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina: An Analysis of Gender Differences

“…Before discussing these findings, we will provide a brief overview of the established prevalence. The prevalence of general overweight and obesity was 25.5% in our sample which was lower than that in the regional estimate (e.g., ∼28%) for Eastern ( Jackson-Leach and Lobstein, 2006 ) and 30.3–45% Southern Europe ( Gomes et al, 2014 ), but higher than it was reported for schoolchildren from Sarajevo Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina (21%) ( Hasanbegovic et al, 2010 ). However, Ostojic et al have reported an even higher prevalence of obesity (e.g., ∼39%) for Serbian school age children from 6 to 14 years ( Ostojic et al, 2011 ).…”

“…However, the WHO’s data was based on self-reported height and weight which could underestimate the truth data ( Elgar and Stewart, 2008 ). Comparing to the regional estimate the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is somewhat better with the reported prevalence of ∼21%, but it should be noted that the study was conducted with schoolchildren from only one canton in the country ( Hasanbegovic et al, 2010 ). Unfortunately, the major concern with children obesity is that 80% of obese children become obese adults ( Whitaker et al, 1997 ) and that overweight children and adolescents show an increased rate of mortality due to cardiovascular and digestive diseases in adulthood ( Mossberg, 1989 ).…”

“…In that regard continuous monitoring of these items is very important for researchers and health care providers in order to develop adequate and gender specific obesity prevention and intervention strategies ( Esmaeilzadeh et al, 2013 ). To our knowledge, there is only one study that systematically investigated the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and PA level in school-age children (i.e., 6–15 years) from Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Hasanbegovic et al, 2010 ). However, even though the study provides valuable data, it involved only children from one part of the country (i.e., Sarajevo canton) and did not investigate the predictors of CRF.…”

Physical fitness and anthropometric characteristics among adolescents living in urban or rural areas of Kosovo

“…Health-related physical fitness is highly influenced by anthropometric characteristics such as BMI and body composition. Studies from neighboring countries in the Western Balkans demonstrate that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising with negative consequences on health-related fitness parameters [ 26 – 30 ], but data for Kosovo are widely missing. Therefore, the current study aimed to provide first data on health- and skill-related fitness components for Kosovan 14- to 15-year old boys and girls born immediately after the Kosovo conflict that lasted from 1998 to 1999.…”

Factors associated with obesity in school children in Belgrade

“…(21) . Док је у Сарајеву било такође око 7% деце гојазно, у Букурешту (10%) и Солуну (11,7%) се бележе већи проценти, али ипак мањи него у Београду (15,22,23) . Традиционално висок проценат гојазне деце је у енглеским градовима, где је чак петина деце гојазно, а до две петине прекомерно ухрањено, што је знатно више у односу на Београд.…”