The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on May 12, 2006
The European Journal of Public Health 2006 16(6):648-651; doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckl057
Overweight and obesity |
Adolescent obesity in Lebanese private schools
Hilda Chakar1 and Pascale R Salameh2
1 Faculty of Medicine, University of Balamand, Lebanon
2 Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Lebanon
Correspondence: Pascale Salameh, Pharm. D., MPH, PhD, Jdeidet El Meten, Chalet Suisse Strt, Ramza Azzam Bldg, 5th floor, Beirut, Lebanon, tel: +00961 3 385542, fax: +00961 9 934164, e-mail: pascalesalameh{at}yahoo.com
Background: Obesity has become a public health problem worldwide. Our objective was to calculate the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Methods: It is a cross sectional study of adolescents in private Lebanese schools, aged 1018 years. Gender, birth date and measures of weight and height were recorded. Results: In 12 299 adolescents, we found high prevalence of obesity (7.5%) and at risk of obesity (24.4%). In girls, risk of obesity and obesity prevalence decrease with increasing age (P < 104) as compared with that in boys. Conclusion: Early recognition of obesity should become routine in paediatric ambulatory care settings.
Keywords: children and adolescents, Lebanon, obesity, private schools