Abstract
The association of nutrition status of children aged 7–12 years (n=663) with socioeconomic factors in a province of southern Thailand in 1995 was investigated. Three type of schools were surveyed: a school with a higher educational standard (elite school) in the municipality of the province, a school with many children from low-income families (low-income school) in the same municipality, and five ordinary schools in rural areas of the province (district schools). The proportions of obese children were 22.1%, 5.8% and 2.7%, respectively for the three type of schools, when obesity was defined as weight to height of over 120% of the median of children in Bangkok. The risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals for obesity in the elite and the low-income schools were 5.0 (3.5–7.2) and 1.9 (0.8–4.8), respectively, taking the district schools as a reference. Our research suggested that the high prevalence of obesity among elite-school children could be related to the comparatively high socioeconomic status of the children’s families. It also shows that the children in the province studied were as a whole considerably leaner than children in the big cities of Thailand. These results imply a need for appropriate interventions which cannot only prevent obesity, but also improve the malnutrition of school children in the rural provinces of southern Thailand.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Burkitt DP. Some diseases characteristic of modern western civilization. A possible common causative factor. Clin Radiol 1973;24: 271–80.
Bindon JR, Baker PT. Modernization, migration and obesity among Samoan adults. Ann Hum Biol 1985;12: 67–76.
Kluthe R, Schubert A. Obesity in Europe. Ann Intern Med 1985;103 (6 Pt 2): 1037–42.
Wilson PW, Anderson KM, Kannel WB. Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus in the elderly. The Framingham study. Am J Med 1986;80:3–9.
Dietz WH. Obesity. J Am Coll Nutr 1989; (8 Suppl.):13S–21S.
Krieger DR, Landsberg L. Obesity and Hypertension. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Management. New York: Raven Press Ltd., 1995: 2367–88.
Kannel WB, Larson M. Long-term epidemiologic prediction of coronary disease. The Framingham experience. Cardiology 1993;82: 137–52.
WeiLing T. The food and nutrition situation in Singapore. In: Rabuco LB, Chihara K, Kawabata M, editors. International Seminar on Nutrition in Health and Disease. Kobe: International Center for Medical Research, Kobe University School of Medicine, 1996:45–47.
Economist Intelligence Unit. Country Profile 1994–1995; Thailand, Myanma. London: Economist Intelligence Unit Ltd., 1995:2–39.
Suttapreyasri D, Suthontan N, Kanpoem J, Krainam J, Boonsuya C. Weight-control training-models for obese pupils in Bangkok. J Med Assoc Thai 1990;73: 394–400.
Bunnag SC, Sitthi-Amorn C, Chandraprasert S. The prevalence of obesity, risk factors and associated diseases in Klong Toey slum and Klong Toey government apartment houses. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 1990;10 Suppl. 1:S8l-7.
Jirapinyo P, Limsathayourat N, Wongarn R, Limpimwong V, Bunnag A, Chockvivatvanit S. A summer camp for childhood obesity in Thailand. J Med Assoc Thai 1995;78: 238–46.
Bloem MW, Wedel M, Egger RJ, Speek AJ, Schrijver J, Saowakontha S, et al. Iron metabolism and vitamin A deficiency in children in northeast Thailand. Am J Clin Nutr 1989;50: 332–8.
Udomkesmalee E, Dhanamitta S, Yhoung-Aree J, Rojroongwasinkul N, Smith JC Jr. Biochemical evidence suggestive of suboptimal zinc and vitamin. A status in school children in northeast Thailand. Am J Clin Nutr 1990;52: 564–7.
Chamruengsri K, Kietduriyakul V, Pava-Ro U, Sapsamarnwong C, Chandumpai P. Nutritional status of low socioeconomic school children at Srakaew Temple, Ang Thong. J Med Assoc Thai 1991;74: 24–9.
Egger RJ, Hofhuis EH, Sukonthanyakorn B, Van der Ven EM, Scriboonlue P, Wedel M, et al. Food intake and socioeconomic status in children in northeast Thailand. Trop Geogr Med 1991;43: 42–50.
Epstein LH, Wing RR, Valoski A. Childhood obesity. Pediatr Clin North Am 1985;32: 363–79.
Health Office of Phattalung Province. Summary of Public Health 1995. Phattalung: Health Office of Phattalung Province, 1996.
Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board. Gross Regional and Provincial Produa 1993. Bangkok: Office of the Prime Minister, 1995.
Wichaidit S. Weight, Heights and Other Anthropometric Data of Thai Children. Bangkok: Prayoowong Printing Group, 1990.
Mo-suwan L, Junjana C, Puetpaiboon A. Increasing obesity in school children in a transitional society and the effect of the weight control program [published erratum appears in Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 1994;25:224]. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 1993;24: 590–4.
Mo-suwan L, Geater AF. Risk factors for childhood obesity in a transitional society in Thailand. Int J Obes 1996;20: 697–703.
Droomers M, Gross R, Schultink W, Sastroamidjojo S. High socioeconomic dass preschool children from Jakarta, Indonesia are taller and heavier than NCHS reference population. Eur J Clin Nutr 1995;49: 740–4.
Ikemoto Y. Income inequality in Thailand in the 1980s. Southeast Asian Studies 1992;30:213–35.
Khor GL. The nutritional situation in metropolitan Kuala Lumpur, with focus on squatters. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 1992;23 Suppl 3: 17–30.
Ikemoto Y. Income distribution and malnutrition in Thailand. Chulalongkorn J Economics 1993;5, 2:136–60.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hirata, M., Kuropakornpong, V., Funahara, Y. et al. Obesity among school children in a province of southern Thailand and its association with socioeconomic status. Environ Health Prev Med 3, 67–72 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931786
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931786