Influence of socioeconomic and demographic parameters on obesity in children aged 7 to 11 in North Bačka region

Abstract

In the Republic of Serbia obesity is growing into a major problem. The aim of the study is to determine nutritional status in children aged 7-11 and to identify possible factors affecting obesity. A cross-sectional anthropological survey was carried out in primary schools in rural and urban places of North Bačka region in Vojvodina (North part of the Republic of Serbia). The investigation was performed between 2017-2020 and included 1057 boys and 1085 girls aged 6.50-11.49 years. The body mass index (BMI kg/ m2 ) was calculated and the assessment of nutritional condition was based on IOTF. Using logistic regression we tested interactions of obesity with socioeconomic and demographic factors. Underweight is present in 5.53% of children (3.78% in boys and 7.28% in girls). Overweight prevalence was detected in 18% of subjects (19.02% in boys and 17.69% in girls) and obesity prevalence in 9.73% of subjects (11.54% in boys and 7.93% in girls). A significant relationship between certain sociodemographic parameters and BMI values and the occurrence of obesity in both sexes was found. The results indicate that exceed weight is present in 27.73% of subjects and represent a public health issue in younger shool-aged children of this region in Vojvodina.