Assessment of the Prevalence of Obesity, Stunting and Hypertension among Primary School Children

Objectives: The study’s aim was to investigate the prevalence of obesity, stunting, and hypertension problems among 5-14-year-old students studying at three primary schools.

Methods: The sample of this cross-sectional study comprised 2930 primary school children (1^st -8^th grade). The participants’ heights, weights and blood pressures were measured.

Results: Of the participants, 17.4% were overweight, 22.8% were obese, 1.1% stunted, and 5.9% were short. In the eight-year age group, the percentage of overweight boy students was higher than that of the overweight girl students. The proportions of the students with stage I and stage II systolic hypertension were 6.8% and 3.2% respectively. While 1.1% of the students had stage I diastolic hypertension, 5.5% had stage II diastolic hypertension.

Conclusions: The prevalence of stunting, overweight and Stage I and II hypertension among the children aged 6-14 was high. Thus, it is important to early identify such problems among children and to take precautions by carrying out routine screenings in schools.