A social epidemiologic study of obesity among preschool children in Thailand

• Main Authors: N. Sakamoto, S. Wansorn, K. Tontisirin, E. Marui
• Other Authors: National Center for Global Health and Medicine
• Format: Article
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Medicine; Nursing
• Online Access: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/26818
• Institution: Mahidol University

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of childhood obesity in a moderately industrialized province in Thailand and examine the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on childhood obesity. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: One thousand one hundred and fifty seven children in the second or third grade of kindergartens in Saraburi Province, Thailand. MEASUREMENTS: Height and weight were measured and the weight-for-height index with the Thai national standard was used for assessing nutritional status. A questionnaire was used for measuring parents' socioeconomic status. RESULTS: The prevalence of childhood obesity over 97th percentile for weight-for-height (>p97) was 22.7% in urban and 7.4% in rural areas. There were marked relationships between childhood obesity and parents' educational level and household income. CONCLUSION: Childhood obesity is an emerging health problem in developing countries, especially in urban areas. This study demonstrates a marked correlation between SES and prevalence of childhood obesity in an Asian developing country.