Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Obesity In Children Aged 3–12 Years Visiting Primary Health Care Setting Of Dubai Health Authority During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dubai Uae, 2021, A Cross-Sectional Study

Alshevai TW, Almanani Q and Alaly VO

Published on: 2022-11-19

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Obesity in children aged 3 to 12 years visiting the primary healthcare setting of the Dubai health authority during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: This is a cross-sectional included 383 children in the included age of 3 to 12 years. Data was collected between August 2021 and February 2022. The sample had children from different nationalities who visited primary healthcare centers with no serious medical condition. Our exclusion criteria include children with serious illnesses, children taking any chronic medication, and children not living in the UAE.

Results: The average weight of participants is 33.75kgs, average height is 1.29 meters, and average BMI is 19.23 kg/m2. In Our study 35.8% of children were obese, 11.2% overweight, and 42.6% had normal BMI, while 46.2%were underweight. The majority (68.1%) of participants were Emarati nationals. Around 30.8% of parents reported being smokers, 50% are university graduates, and 70.8% reported having sufficient income. Around 56.1% of parents said their weight is normal, while 38.2% believe their spouse's weight is normal. The following factors are significant risk factors of obesity: Gender (males, p = 0.012), age (11-12, p = 0.003), smoking parents (p = 0.046), time on screens (>= 4 to 6 hours daily, p = 0.00).

Conclusion: Obesity is associated with parents' education level. The lower the education, the higher the percentage of obese children. Smoking parents, screen time of 4 hours or higher, junk food, and eating outside are significantly associated with children's obesity. Obesity is substantially higher in males compared to females and is considerably higher in those aged 10 to 11 years.