Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity among school children and adolescents in commune I of the district of Bamako – Mali, 2022

Abstract

Introduction: Overweight is a pandemic, multifactorial and increasingly affects children. This study aimed to determine the factors linked to overweight and obesity among schoolchildren in commune I of Bamako. Methods and materials: This was a descriptive and analytical study carried out among 690 schoolchildren aged 7 to 17 residing in commune I of the Bamako district with the informed consent of parents/guardians. The study was conducted from June 2 to June 17, 2022. The collection concerned sociodemographic and economic characteristics, medical history of parents and anthropometric measurements of children. The WHO 2007 reference curves for height/weight as a function of sex and age were used to determine overweight/obesity. The data collected via kobo collection were analyzed on SPSS 20. Logistic regression was carried out. Results: Among the schoolchildren aged 7-17 surveyed, 8.99% whose 6.09% were overweight and 2.90% obese, 51.30% were boys and 51.17% were aged 10 to 14. The multivariate analysis showed the association between overweight and obesity among schoolchildren and variables such as: female gender (OR = 1.97 95% CI: 1.17-3.38); age 15-17 years 3.85 (1.63-9.06): age 7-9 years 0.12 (0.06-0.25) and high school/secondary (OR= 3.38 95% CI: 1.08-10.6). Conclusion: Overweight/obesity among schoolchildren aged 7-17 is a reality. The results of this study may contribute to the prevention of overweight/obesity.