Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prevalence and risk factors of obesity among school-aged children in Xi’an, China

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and the risk factors associated with obesity among school-aged children in Xi'an city. The body mass index of 6,740 children aged 7–18 years was compared with the Working Group on Obesity in China cut-off value to estimate the prevalence of obesity. A case–control study of obese and non-obese children was carried out to study risk factors for obesity. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect information on possible risk factors causing obesity. Univariate analysis was performed first to compare the distribution of risk factors between cases and controls. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to assess independent risk factors of obesity. The results showed that the overall prevalence of obesity among school-aged children was 4.11% (4.63% for males and 3.57% for females). A total of 516 subjects (258 pairs of cases and controls) were included in the final analysis. High maternal education and a longer sleeping time were shown to be protective factors against obesity (odds ratio [OR] 0.148, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.074–0.296 and OR 0.472, 95% CI 0.342–0.652, respectively). Whereas family history of diabetes (OR 5.498, 95% CI 2.606–11.600), parental overweight (OR 3.720, 95% CI 2.068–6.689), and watching television, playing video games, and using computers (OR 1.564, 95% CI 1.133–2.159) were associated with a higher obesity risk. Conclusion: the prevalence of childhood obesity in Xi'an has become a concern, and sleeping time, sedentary behavior, and family factors have pronounced effects on the prevalence of obesity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Al-Saeed WY, Al-Dawood KM, Bukhari IA, Bahnassy A (2007) Prevalence and socioeconomic risk factors of obesity among urban female students in Al-Khobar city, Eastern Saudi Arabia, 2003. Obes Rev 8:93–99

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bramhagen AC, Axelsson I, Hallstrom I (2006) Mothers' experiences of feeding situations—an interview study. J Clin Nurs 15:29–34

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Chaput JP, Després JP, Bouchard C, Tremblay A (2007) Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin levels and increased adiposity: results from the Québec Family Study. Obesity 15:253–261

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Daniels SR (2009) Complications of obesity in children and adolescents. Int J Obes 33(Suppl 1):60–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Giugliano R, Carneiro EC (2004) Factors associated with obesity in school children. J Pediatr 80:17–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. He Q, Ding ZY, Fong DYT, Karlberg J (2000) Risk factors of obesity in preschool children in China: a population-based case-control study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 24:1528–1536

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ji CY, Cheng TO (2009) Epidemic increase in overweight and obesity in Chinese children from 1985 to 2005. Int J Cardiol 132:1–10

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Jiang JX, Xing GR, Wang HS et al (2007) Family risk factors of overweight and obesity in preschool children. Zhong Hua Er Ke Za Zhi 45:172–175

    Google Scholar 

  9. Jiang JX, Rosenqvist U, Wang HS, Koletzko B, Lian GL, Huang J, Greiner T (2009) Relationship of parental characteristics and feeding practices to overweight in infants and young children in Beijing, China. Public Health Nutr 12:973–978

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ji CY (2008) Prevalence of overweigh and obesity in chinese students and its socioeconomic differences. Chin J Sch Health 29:106–108

    Google Scholar 

  11. Ji CY, Cooperative Study on Childhood Obesity, Working Group on Obesity in China (WGOC) (2005) Report on childhood obeisty in China (1)—body mass index reference for screening overweight and obesity in Chinese school-age children. Biomed Environ Sci 18:390–400

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kim HM, Park J, Kim HS, Kim DH, Park SH (2006) Obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in Korean children and adolescents aged 10–18 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1998 and 2001. Am J Epidemiol 164:787–793

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Li M, Yan H, Dibley MJ, Chang SY, Sibbritt D (2006) Prevalence of overweight and obesity and its associated risk factors in students aged 11–17 in Xi'an in 2004. Acta Acad Med Sin 28:234–239

    Google Scholar 

  14. Lioret S, Maire B, Volatier JL, Charles MA (2007) Child overweight in France and its relationship with physical activity, sedentary behaviour and socioeconomic status. Eur J Clin Nutr 61:509–516

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Murray R, Battista M (2009) Managing the risk of childhood overweight and obesity in primary care practice. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 39:146–165

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Maffeis C (2000) Aetiology of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Eur J Pediatr 159(Suppl 1):35–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Maddah M (2010) Association of parental diabetes with overweight in Iranian children and adolescents. Int J Cardiol 144:126–128

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Maddah M, Nikooyeh B (2010) Factors associated with overweight in children in Rasht, Iran: gender, maternal education, skipping breakfast and parental obesity. Public Health Nutr 13:196–200

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Nagaya T, Yoshida H, Takahashi H, Kawai M (2005) Increases in body mass index, even within non-obese levels, raise the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus: a follow-up study in a Japanese population. Diabet Med 22:1107–1111

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Nagel G, Wabitsch M, Galm C, Berg S, Brandstetter S, Fritz M, Klenk J, Peter Richard P, Prokopchuk D, Steiner R (2009) Determinants of obesity in the Ulm Research on Metabolism, Exercise and Lifestyle in Children (URMEL-ICE). Eur J Pediatr 168:1259–1267

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Papandreou D, Malindretos P, Rousso L (2010) Risk factors for childhood obesity in Greek paediatric population. Public Health Nutr 13:1535–1539

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Patel SR (2009) Reduced sleep as an obesity risk factor. Obes Rev 10(Suppl 2):61–68

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Patel SR, Hu FB (2008) Short sleep duration and weight gain: a systematic review. Obesity 16:643–653

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Rey-López JP, Vicente-Rodríguez G, Biosca M, Moreno LA (2008) Sedentary behaviour and obesity development in children and adolescents. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 18:242–251

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Shan XY, Xi B, Cheng H, Hou DQ, Wang YF, Mi J (2010) Prevalence and behavioral risk factors of overweight and obesity among children aged 2–18 in Beijing, China. Int J Pediatr Obes 5:383–389

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Thibault H, Contrand B, Saubusse E, Baine M, Maurice-Tison S (2010) Risk factors for overweight and obesity in French adolescents: physical activity, sedentary behavior and parental characteristics. Nutrition 26:192–200

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Taheri S, Lin L, Austin D, Young T, Mignot E (2004) Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin, and increased body mass index. PLoS Med 1:210–217

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Whitaker RC, Wright JA, Pepe MS, Seidel KD, Dietz WH (1997) Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. N Engl J Med 337:869–873

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Wang H, Ran YC, Cao L, Li W, Zhang J, Chen J (2008) Epidemiological investigation of obesity in children and adolescents aged 0–18 years in Chengdu. Xian Dai Yu Fang Yi Xue 35:460–462

    Google Scholar 

  30. Yoshinaga M, Ichiki T, Tanaka Y, Hazeki D, Horigome H, Takahashi H, Kashima K (2010) Prevalence of childhood obesity from 1978 to 2007 in Japan. Pediatr Int 52:213–217

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Zhou LS, He GP, Zhang JP, Xie RH, Walker M, Wen SW (2011) Risk factors of obesity in preschool children in an urban area in China. Eur J Pediatr. doi:10.1007/s00431-011-1416-7

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Y.F.X. conceived the study, coordinated as a research guide and revised the draft. X.Q.Y. carried out the survey, analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript. C.Y.Y. and M.C. assisted in carrying out the survey and data handling. The authors greatly appreciate the support of Education Bureau and Health Bureau of Xi'an city. The authors would also like to acknowledge all the students, teachers, and principals of the schools for their kind cooperation.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Second Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, Shaanxi Province, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaoqing Yi, Chunyan Yin & Yanfeng Xiao

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Central Hospital of Ankang, Ankang, 725000, Shaanxi Province, People’s Republic of China

    Ming Chang

Authors
  1. Xiaoqing Yi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chunyan Yin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ming Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yanfeng Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yanfeng Xiao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yi, X., Yin, C., Chang, M. et al. Prevalence and risk factors of obesity among school-aged children in Xi’an, China. Eur J Pediatr 171, 389–394 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-011-1566-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-011-1566-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation