Prevalence of obesity and overweight in school going adolescents of Surat city, Gujarat, India Sonal Sureshbhai Gamit, Mohua Moitra, Mamta Rani Verma Department of PSM, Government Medical College, Surat, Gujarat, India. Correspondence to: Sonal Sureshbhai Gamit, E-mail: sgamit77@yahoo.com Received August 8, 2014. Accepted August 29, 2014 Abstract Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing with the changing lifestyle of families over the past few years. Objectives: To study the prevalence and review specific parameters contributing to obesity in schoolgoing adolescents. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among purposively selected schools of different socioeconomic strata in Surat city after taking their due permission. A predesigned, semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the students in the 14–16 years age group and filled under supervision. Data were collected from 1079 school adolescents within 8 months, from January 2013 to August 2013. Physical parameters such as height, weight, and waist and hip circumference were measured. Analysis was carried out using Epi Info 6 and appropriate statistical tests (proportions, w 2 -test) were applied. Results: Overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 10.2% and 6%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 12.4% and 8.2% in boys whereas it was 7.2% and 2.7% in girls. The majority of overweight (17.7%) and obese students (11.2%) were from upper income group (UIG) schools compared to lower income group (LIG) schools in which 7.4% students were found to be overweight and 4.2% were found to be obese, and middle income group (MIG) school in which 6.3% students were overweight and 3% were obese. This difference in body mass index (BMI) among three groups was statistically significant (p o 0.00). More cases of overweight and obesity were found in students whose parents had higher level of education (p o 0.00). Association was found between parents’ occupation and BMI (p o 0.05). Obesity (7.2%) and overweight (12.5%) were seen more in children using vehicular transport for going to school. Conclusion: Prevalence of overweight and obesity was more in students in UIG as compared to MIG and LIG schools. A significant association was found between parents’ education, occupation, mode of transportation to school, and BMI. Awareness generation regarding lifestyle-related diseases prevalent among the adolescents and parents is need of the hour. KEY WORDS: prevalence, obesity, adolescent, schoolgoing Introduction Prevalence of obesity, which is presently seen as a defined cluster of non-communicable diseases, is observed in both developed and developing nations. The global epidemic of obesity is a reflection of massive social, economic, and cultural problems. [1] Obesity is increasingly being associated with the changing lifestyle of families as a result of increased purchasing power and increased inactivity due to television, video games, and computers, which have replaced outdoor games and other social activities. [2] World Health Organization has defined obesity as a disease in which excess body fat accumulates to an extent that health may be adversely affected. The underlying cause is the processes of undesirable positive energy balance and weight gain. [1] Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading causes of global deaths. As obesity is preventable [1,3] ; it is one of the challenges of the 21st century. [4] Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. In addition, 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischemic heart disease burden, and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and obesity. Access this article online Website: http://www.ijmsph.com Quick Response Code: DOI: 10.5455/ijmsph.2015.0808201415 International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health | 2015 | Vol 4 | Issue 1 42 Research Article