Overweight and Obesity among Adolescent Students Attending High Schools: Representative Study of All Private and Public Sector High Schools in District Peshawar

Abstract

Background: Obesity among children impairs academic performance, increases healthcare costs, and increases risk for chronic diseases in adulthood.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and their associated factors, among adolescents attending public and private high schools in Peshawar.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students attending public and private high schools in the Peshawar district by the Department of Endocrinology, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar in collaboration with the Institute of Public Health and Social Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar. A total of 800 students were selected from public and private high schools of district Peshawar using multistage stratified random sampling. Data were collected on socio-demographic profile, dietary and nutrition-related information, health-related QOL, and physical activity. Data were analyzed using Stata version 14.0; chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were performed, with a p-value < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results Among respondents, 62.88% were male and 28.88% were aged 15 years. Approximately one-third of the students (33.3%) had low physical activity, while 21.4% were overweight and 18.3% were obese. Age, gender, father's occupation, and grade were significantly associated with BMI (p <0.05). Physical activity showed weaker correlations with health-related quality-of-life domains among overweight/obese respondents. Female sex was independently associated with lower odds of overweight or obesity, while belonging to a low-income household and being in the 9th grade increased these odds.

Conclusion: High overweight and obesity prevalence was observed among Peshawar adolescents, independently associated with male sex, lower household income, and 9th grade, highlighting the need ........