Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Adolescents in Secondary Schools in Abia State, Nigeria

Aims: The study determined the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in secondary schools in Abia State, Nigeria.
Study Design: A cross-sectional school based survey was conducted among adolescents of Aba South L.G.A to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Sample: A probability proportional to size was used to select 600 participants, aged 10-19 years from 10 schools. Place and duration of the study: Aba South LGA, study done between September and October, 2012.
Methodology: Their weight, height, waist, hip, body mass index and triceps skinfold were assessed. Overweight and obesity was defined using IOTF, CDC and NHANES III cutoff points. Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR) was compared with the WHO standards. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Chi-square analysis was used to test the categorical variables at P<0.05.
Results: The prevalence of overweight seems high in both genders (3.0% and 6.7% in males and females respectively) (p=0.005) while obesity prevalence was low (1.0% and 2.5% in males and females respectively) (0.085). More female adolescents (1.2%) than males (0.3%) were classified as obese when triceps skinfold was used as a measure of obesity. About 36.0% of the adolescents were at high health risk when WHR was used as measure of classification.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it was concluded that there is need for individualized dietary education among adolescents in secondary schools in Nigeria.