Prevalence and associates of obesity and overweight among school-age children in a rural community of Thailand.

Purpose: There is limited information of overweight and obesity among students in rural area of Thailand. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated factors among school aged children in a rural community of Thailand.

Methods: Nine public schools were selected by cluster sampling in two provinces located in central of Thailand in 2016. Anthropometric measurements were measured using standard techniques, classified as overweight (>1SD) and obese (>2SD) with respect to their age and sex using 2007 WHO reference charts. Then standardized questionnaires on risk factors were sent to parents to be completed together with their child.

Results: Among 1,749 students participating in this study, 8.98% were overweight and 7.26% obese. The mean age (range) was 11.5 (5-18) years. Independent factors associated with overweight and obesity were include primary school student (reference as secondary school) (aOR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.24-4.08, p = 0.07), mothers' BMI (aOR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.02-1.12, p = 0.001), father running own business (aOR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.12-3.55, p = 0.018), number of sibling (aOR = 0.61; 95%CI = 0.47-0.81, p= 0.001), having one siblings' obesity (aOR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.20-2.77, p = 0.005) and more than one (aOR = 7.16, 95% CI = 2.40-21.32, p <0.001), consuming rice 2-3 ladles per meal (aOR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.38-3.32, p = 0.001) and > 3 ladles per meal (aOR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.11-6.46, p = 0.27) and watch television < 2 hours per day (aOR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.19-4.01, p = 0.012) and >2 hours per day (aOR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.36-4.96, p =0.004).

Conclusion: The findings of this study identified many socio-demographic predictors and dietary and behavioral factors were related to overweight and obesity among school-age children not only in the urban but also in the rural community of Thailand.