Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Background: Obesity and overweight are recognized as major global public health phenomena. Its long-term consequences are many of wide variety of chronic conditions including high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease and certain forms of cancer; which in turn are primary drivers of healthcare spending, disability and deaths, childhood obesity is complex and multidimensional, which has been identified as a public health priority. It is also recognized that, obesity decreases the quality of life and life expectancy considerably. Objective: To assess population-based childhood obesity intervention over three years at school population in Dubai and to examine the childhood obesity intervention outcome. Methodology: About 2,60,0000 students age range (5-18) years grade (1-12) over about 180 private schools in Dubai over three consequence academic years 2014-2015, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, BMI measurement as per CDC criteria and chart, WHO (mean±SD) centile body weight at the beginning of each academic year (September), wide variety of interventions been designed and applied, e.g., health promotion, school nutritional education activities, food labeling, happy schools initiatives, 10/10 initiative physical activity platform, parents awareness, students health file initiative, city makers (blue team initiative), community participation (private-public partnership, governmental stockholders intersect oral collaborations, school canteen policy and guideline, BMI and other age and gender based BMI and centile measurement done at the end of academic year (June) for three successive academic years. Result: The current study revealed that about 8.7% of the total student’s population in private schools in Dubai were obese and about 1.4% of the total students were morbid obese in total of 10.1% of the total students were obese of different severity. The study showed that the prevalence of obesity among student population at private schools in Dubai during the academic year 2015-2017 was 9.05%, the study showed 0.9% reduction of obesity comparing academic year 2014-2015 to academic year 2015- 2016, the study reflected that prevalence of obesity among student population at private schools in Dubai during the academic year 2016-2017 was 8.2% which was about 1.3% less comparing to the prevalence of obesity during academic year 2015-2016. The study revealed that the trend of obesity prevalence among student population at private schools in Dubai is declining over that last three academic years (2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017) showing that about 2.2% total reduction in the three years period of applying effective intervention program. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary public health intervention for childhood obesity is successful in producing weight loss in the short and long term when stakeholders brought on board effective means.

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