Prevalence of obesity among preschool children in St. Petersburg

Abstract

Relevance. In recent decades, there has been an increase in the number of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity worldwide. In this regard, it is relevant to monitor the physical development indicators of children of various age groups living in difficult environmental conditions.

The aim of study - to identify the frequency of obesity among pupils of preparatory groups of preschool educational institutions in St. Petersburg.

Material and methods. A survey of 857 children (412 boys and 445 girls) was carried out. The reference values of individual indicators of the mass-height index of WHO standards “WHO Growth Reference 2007” was used for the assessment of the ratio of weight and body length of children. Obesity was registered when the child’s body mass index exceeded the 95th percentile of the age-sex scale.

Results. In the general cohort of preschool children examined, obesity was registered in 10.9% [95% CI: 10.4–11.4] children. In the boys group, the prevalence of obesity was 12.5 [95%CI: 11.7–13.3%]. In girls, the incidence of obesity was 9.5% [95%CI: 8.8–10.2]. The prevalence of obesity in boys is higher than in girls (p = 0.0058), which coincides with the data of most domestic and foreign authors.

Conclusion. Consequently, we have identified a high prevalence of obesity in future first-graders, which requires both additional examination of children and justifies an in-depth analysis of the nutrition of preschool children, including in children’s educational organizations of the metropolis.