Overweight/Obesity Prevalence among Under-Five Children and Risk Factors in India: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the National Family Health Survey (2015–2016)

Abstract

The occurrence of overweight and obesity has increased in recent years in India. In this study, we investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of overweight/obesity among children aged 0–59 months in India. Using data from the 2015–2016 National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4), the research sample included 176,255 children aged 0 to 59 months. Bivariate and multivariate techniques were used to analyze children’s risk factors for overweight/obesity. We identified that the prevalence of overweight/obesity among children aged 0–59 was 2.6% in India. The study findings reveal that factors such as child sex, age, birth weight, birth rank, maternal education, number of children, age at marriage, mother’s BMI, media exposure, social group, and dietary diversity score were most significantly correlated with childhood overweight and obesity in India. Furthermore, we found that male children (ARR: 1.08) aged between 0 and 11 months (ARR: 3.77) with low birth rank (ARR: 1.24), obese (ARR: 1.81) children whose mothers married after the age of 18 (ARR: 1.15), children who belong to a scheduled tribe family (ARR: 1.46), and children who consumed 7–9 food items (ARR: 1.22) were at highest risk of being overweight and obese. However, breastfeeding (ARR: 0.85) and Muslim families (ARR: 0.87) appeared to be protective factors with respect to childhood overweight and obesity in India. Pertinent public health programs, clinical follow-up, and awareness about sedentary lifestyles can help to reduce overweight/obesity risks in children.

Covariate dependent Markov chains constructed with gradient boost modeling can effectively generate long-term predictions of obesity trends

“…These observed differences highlights that there may be additional demographic, lifestyle, and biological risk factors for obesity that should be analyzed. Many of these risk factors have been examined in the literature, including increased intake of sugar, decreased exercise, increased sedentary activity, and decreased sleep 11,13,14,16,29 .…”

“…Multiple studies have identi ed major risk factors for obesity, including demographic factors (race, sex, age), lifestyle factors (exercise, sleep), and clinical comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes. Additionally, multiple studies have demonstrated the high prevalence of weight gain in the United States population and detailed the signi cant medical consequences of obesity related diseases such as coronary artery disease and type II diabetes [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] . Despite the recognition of long-term weight gain as an important public health issue, there is a paucity of studies studying the long-term weight gain and building models for long-term projection.…”

Mineral composition and marker enzymes status of children on daily multivitamins intake

“…The indexes of physical development which describe nutritional wellness in children are ageappropriate weight (underweight), and age-appropriate height (wasting and stunting). Poor physical development is associated with poor nutrition which increases the likelihood of poor school performance, lower productivity as adults, chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and mental health Saha et al, 2022) [35] . Ekwochi et al, 2014 [15] observed a prevalence of anemia among the studied under-five children, especially among those of low social economic class.…”

Addressing the Challenge: A Review of Effective Prevention Strategies for Childhood Obesity in India

“…This prevalence exhibits considerable variability across different regions and demographics within India, fluctuating between 3% and 22.8% among school children aged 6 to 16 years [1]. Moreover, the incidence of overweight children under the age of five has been on the rise, surging from 2.1% (during 2015-2016) to 3.4% (throughout 2019-2021) [4]. Numerous studies have posited potential causes for this upward trend in overweight and obesity among Indian children, with attributing factors such as inadequate physical activity, prolonged television viewing, urban residence, and socioeconomic status within families [4].…”