Prevalence of risk factors (overweight or at risk for overweight) for chronic diseases in male students in public school in Ahvaz, Iran

Introduction & The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and teenagers in developed and developing countries is increasing rapidly. Few studies have been carried out on relationship between obesity and amount of physical activity of children in Iran. The aim of this study was to recognize the prevalence of over weight and at risk for overweight and its relation with the amount of physical activity among male students of public schools in Ahvaz، Iran. In this cross-sectional study 628 students aged 10-14 from ahvaz using the two-stages cluster sampling method were selected. Height and weight of students were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. Those who their BMI was 85 to 95 (85th ≤BMI≤95th percentile) considered to be at risk of over weight and those with BMI over 95 (BMI ≥95th percentile) considered overweight. data were analyzed by spss soft ware. The prevalence of at risk for over weight and over weight was 18. 8 and 12. 3 respectively. The age group of 11-13 year had the most overweight percentages and only students with age of 10 were not at risk of overweight. In comparison to other studies، overweight and at risk for overweight students in Ahvaz، Iran are on warning aspect. According to these findings، the policy makers and educational organizations should consider regular physical activity in schools programs to prevent and reduce the obesity in the society.