Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

In Thailand, more than 10% of school children were overweight and obesity. Risk behavior have been associated with many factors, however the situation in Northeast of Thailand is unclear. So, this study aimed to survey and investigates the risk behavioral factors associated with overweight and obesity among school children in the northeastern region. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 370 school children, who were enrolled using a multi-state random sampling procedure in Northeast Thailand. The data were collected by questionnaire during May to July in 2013 and were summarized by descriptive statistics. The various predictor variables of overweight and obesity were investigated by simple and multiple logistic regression. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 17.6% and 6.2%, respectively. Results of multiple logistic regression indicated that the statistically significant predictors of overweight and obesity in school children were gender (OR=2.07, 95%CI: 1.31 to 3.27, p-value=0.002), obesity in family, especially sister or brother (OR=3.31, 95%CI: 2.42 to 8.06, p-value=0.001), mother (OR=3.08, 95%CI: 1.12 to 7.08, p-value = 0.02), and father (OR=2.64, 95%CI: 1.12 to 8.07, p-value = 0.01), respectively, eating more than three meals per day (OR=0.90, 95%CI: 0.08 to 1.72, p-value = 0.03), school lunch program (OR=0.46, 95%CI: 0.24 to 0.86, p-value = 0.01), watching television (TV) (OR=1.28, 95%CI: 1.02 to 1.61, p-value=0.03), and playing computer games (OR=1.56, 95%CI: 1.30 to 1.80, p-value=0.001). The important risk behavior factors need to control specifically and school lunch program of the enabling factors is a potential factor to design of preventative programs.

Biography

Pannee Banchonhattakit has completed her Dr. PH from Mahidol University. She is the head of Department of Health Education, Faculty of Public Health, Khon Kaen University (KKU) and has been serving as an IRB member, KKU.