Prevalence and influencing factors of BMI and effect of school based intervention among the Grade 8 Schoolchildren in Jaffna district

Overweight and obesity are becoming a global issue. In contrast, children living in developing countries like Sri Lanka are having problems with wasting . Understanding the status of wasting, overweight and obesity and underlying factors may help to address the issue. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of wasting, overweight and obesity and the underlying socio-demographic and school-related correlate and effect pf school-level intervention to manage wasting, overweight and or obesity among Sri Lankan school children A school based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 836 students aged between 13-15 years studying at government schools in Jaffna district from June 2016 to November 2017. Anthropometric measurements obtained using electronic height weight machine with the precision of the instrument for height is ≤±0.1cm, and for weight is ≤±0.1kg, and the Body Mass Index (BMI) for age calculated and compared with WHO (2007) standards. Chi-square analyses performed, and odds ratios calculated in SPSS 21. Results Slightly males students (51.4%) were more than the female students. Majority of the students were Hindus (91.1%), and living with both parents (87.2%). The prevalence of wasting, overweight and obesity was 38.6%, 6.8% and 2.4% respectively. Having abnormal BMI was not significantly affected the participation in extracurricular activities. High prevalence of abnormal BMI observed, and none of the school-level interventions for abnormal BMI were not useful. Hence, periodical assessment and monitoring of the school-based program might improve the outcome.