Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight in Preschool Children of Rafsanjan City, Iran, in 2018: A Short Report

Obesity is one of the major health problems in the developed and developing countries. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity and overweight in preschool children in Rafsanjan.

In this cross-sectional study, the status of obesity, overweight, normality, weight loss and severe weight loss in 1292 pre-school children was investigated in 2018. Data were analyzed using chi-square test and one-way ANOVA.

Of the total number of children, who were examined, 91 children (7.0%) were very thin, 248 children (19.2%) thin, 750 children (58.0%) normal, 108 children (8.4%) overweight and 85 children (7.4%) obese. The results also showed no statistically significant association between gender and the state of obesity and weight loss in the children (p=0.303).

Considering the relatively high prevalence of obesity and overweight, it seems necessary to examine the causes and take action to prevent it.