Prevalence of adolescent obesity at a high school in the City of Tshwane.
Nomusa A Ngwenya, Tendani S Ramukumba
PMID 28582980WHAT IT FOUND
Obesity was found in 8.57% of 175 adolescents at one high school in Tshwane.
Overweight was 15.43%, abdominal obesity 5.14%. This is baseline data, not proof an intervention works.
Key findings
01Obesity was found in 8.57% (n=15) of participants.
02Overweight was found in 15.43% (n=27), underweight in 9.71% (n=17), and BMI between 18 kg/m2 and 25 kg/m2 in 66.28% (n=116).
03Abdominal obesity was identified in 5.14% (n=9), and all those participants had BMI above 25 kg/m2.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done at one high school, so the percentages may not apply to other schools or areas. Only 175 students took part, while 286 were targeted and 450 leaflets were sent; this was a 39% response rate among invitees. Younger students were under-represented because consent or assent forms were not completed or returned. The study measured BMI and waist only; it did not collect diet, physical activity, or health outcomes, so it cannot explain why obesity occurred. No intervention was tested, so the results cannot show that school health education or referral would reduce obesity.
The easy way to misread this
Do not generalise the 8.57% obesity rate to all adolescents in Tshwane or South Africa. The study measured only 175 students at one high school, and only 39% of the 450 invited students participated.