Prevalence of Overweight and Obese School-Going Adolescents in Ulaanbaatar and Its Lack of Associated Risk Factors

Objectives: The high prevalence of overweight and obese adolescents has severe consequences for economic and social development in Mongolia. This study aims to describe the prevalence of obesity and its associated factors among adolescents. Methods: Using the published results of the 2013 Global Sch...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Central Asian journal of medical science Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 132 - 140
Main Authors:	Ganbold, Oyundari, Erdenebileg, Nasantogtokh, Ganbat, Mandukhai
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences 25-06-2019
Subjects:	adolescents mongolia overweight prevalence risk factor
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Objectives: The high prevalence of overweight and obese adolescents has severe consequences for economic and social development in Mongolia. This study aims to describe the prevalence of obesity and its associated factors among adolescents. Methods: Using the published results of the 2013 Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS), we determined the prevalence of overweight and obese youth as well as some aspects of their physical activity, alcohol consumption, tobacco usage, and dietary behavior. A total of 5393 students from grade 7-12 students who were normal weight, overweight or obese were studied. Results: Approximately 15% of adolescents were overweight or obese with significant differences in BMI when comparing students in grades 7 to 9 to students in grades 10 to 12 (p= .004). More of the students from grades 7 - 9 were overweight than obese (13.3% vs. 10.7%), while more in grades 10 - 12 were obese (2.1% vs. 1.1%). None of the risk factors available in the GSHS data set were related to being overweight or obese. Conclusion: Using the potential risk factors available in the GSHS data set, none were associated with being overweight or obese. There is a need for better understanding of the social, economic, and physical determinants of the high prevalence of overweight and obese adolescents in Mongolia.
ISSN:	2413-8681 2414-9772
DOI:	10.24079/cajms.2019.06.008