The Prevalence of Underweight, Overweight and Obesity Among Primary School Learners in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Gomwe, Howard; Seekoe, Eunice; Goon, Daniel Ter; Lyoka, Philemon; Marange, Chioneso Show

doi:10.3923/pjn.2019.644.649

“…On the other hand, the prevalence of underweight, i.e., 54% for boys and 62.5 for girls, in our sample, also appeared approximate to those reported for underweight, overweight and obesity among primary school learners in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa especially for girls (in our results) where the study shows that 62.7% of 267 school children between 11-12 years are underweight [29].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

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2022

Madridge J Nurs

0

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Background: Since obesity is a global medical condition which affect adults and children of both sexes and lead to many diseases including hypertension, stroke and diabetes mellitus-2, it is chosen to assess the prevalence of the obesity and its predisposing factors among the primary school children in Willayat of Nizwa, AL-Dakhylliya Governorate, Sultanate of Oman during the period of November 2019 -February 2020.Methods: This study was carried out in four different primary schools; 2 boy's and 2 girl's primary schools by using a self-administered questionnaires for 270 males and 270 females (grades 5 th and 6 th ) school children whose ages range from 11 and 12 years. The study was approved by the School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Nursing, University of Nizwa as a graduation project and permitted by the General Directorate of Education in Al-Dakhylliya Governorate. The questionnaires included demographic parameters and other variables for the school's children, in addition to separate questionnaires for the teachers of the schools and the parents or the guardians of the school children. These questionnaires were chosen from previous similar studies and modified in order to obtain the required information for the study. Consent forms were prepared to seek the permission of the guardians and the school teachers to perform this study for ethical considerations. All findings are illustrated in a histogram and the important related issues are discussed.Results: Out of the total number of the 540 primary school children and of equal number of boys and girls investigated in this study (270 each), it was found that the average values of the overweight are 10.25%, Obesity-1 equals to 3.45%, obesity-2 is 2.45%. Normal values of BMI are 27.5% and the underweight is 57.5%. The majority of the school children (81% females and 51% males) in the schools investigated reported that they do not have a family history of obesity.

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“…On the other hand, the prevalence of underweight, i.e., 54% for boys and 62.5 for girls, in our sample, also appeared approximate to those reported for underweight, overweight and obesity among primary school learners in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa especially for girls (in our results) where the study shows that 62.7% of 267 school children between 11-12 years are underweight [29].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Prevalence of Childhood Obesity and its Predisposing Factors among Primary School Children in Willayat of Nizwa, Al-Dakhylliya Governorate, Sultanate of Oman

Hassan¹

2022

Madridge J Nurs

0

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Background: Since obesity is a global medical condition which affect adults and children of both sexes and lead to many diseases including hypertension, stroke and diabetes mellitus-2, it is chosen to assess the prevalence of the obesity and its predisposing factors among the primary school children in Willayat of Nizwa, AL-Dakhylliya Governorate, Sultanate of Oman during the period of November 2019 -February 2020.Methods: This study was carried out in four different primary schools; 2 boy's and 2 girl's primary schools by using a self-administered questionnaires for 270 males and 270 females (grades 5 th and 6 th ) school children whose ages range from 11 and 12 years. The study was approved by the School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Nursing, University of Nizwa as a graduation project and permitted by the General Directorate of Education in Al-Dakhylliya Governorate. The questionnaires included demographic parameters and other variables for the school's children, in addition to separate questionnaires for the teachers of the schools and the parents or the guardians of the school children. These questionnaires were chosen from previous similar studies and modified in order to obtain the required information for the study. Consent forms were prepared to seek the permission of the guardians and the school teachers to perform this study for ethical considerations. All findings are illustrated in a histogram and the important related issues are discussed.Results: Out of the total number of the 540 primary school children and of equal number of boys and girls investigated in this study (270 each), it was found that the average values of the overweight are 10.25%, Obesity-1 equals to 3.45%, obesity-2 is 2.45%. Normal values of BMI are 27.5% and the underweight is 57.5%. The majority of the school children (81% females and 51% males) in the schools investigated reported that they do not have a family history of obesity.

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“…4,5,6,7 However, this has not been the case in middle-income countries, where there is scanty literature related to the phenomenon under study. In South Africa, although there has been a high prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst children, 8,9,10,11 there are few research studies regarding the relationship between physical fitness and body composition amongst primary school learners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between body composition and physical fitness of primary school learners from a predominantly rural province in South Africa

Gomwe

¹

,

Seekoe²,

Lyoka³

et al. 2022

Afr. j. prim. health care fam. med.

Self Cite

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Background: There is a lack of literature regarding the relationship that exists between body composition and physical fitness amongst primary school learners in South Africa. For the sake of public health purposes, it is important to investigate how body composition relates to physical fitness amongst primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Aim:The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between body composition and physical fitness amongst South African primary school children. Setting:The study was conducted on a cohort of primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province, which is a predominantly rural province in South Africa.Methods: A school-based cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst 870 primary schoolchildren aged 9-14 years. Body composition and physical fitness measurements were measured and recorded using standardised measurement scales.Results: Of the 870 participants, 40.34% (n = 351) were boys and 59.66% (n = 519) were girls. The mean age of the participants was 11.04 ± 1.50 years. Boys had a significantly (p = 0.002) higher mean age (11.24 ±1.51 years) as compared to girls (10.91 ± 1.48 years). The results of the non-parametric Spearman's rho correlation coefficients revealed several significant and negative relationships between physical fitness and body composition measurements, which were stronger in girls than in boys. Conclusion:The findings call for public health authorities and other relevant policymakers to initiate the development and implementation of policies and interventions targeted at encouraging physical activity participation and healthy lifestyle amongst primary school learners in South Africa, especially amongst girls. Contribution:The study findings supports a relatively rich literature which suggests that girls are more flexible than boys and that negative relationships between body composition measurements and physical fitness characteristics exists, which are stronger in girls than in boys.

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The Prevalence of Underweight, Overweight and Obesity Among Primary School Learners in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Cited by 5 publications

References 17 publications

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Prevalence of Childhood Obesity and its Predisposing Factors among Primary School Children in Willayat of Nizwa, Al-Dakhylliya Governorate, Sultanate of Oman

Relationship between body composition and physical fitness of primary school learners from a predominantly rural province in South Africa

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