Mal J Nutr 17(1): 87-95, 2011

Dietary Practices among Overweight and Obese Chinese Children in Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Soo, KL¹*, Wan Abdul Manan WM¹, Abdul Manaf H² & Lee, YY^1
1 Program in Nutrition, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus Kelantan, Malaysia
² Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kelantan, Malaysia


ABSTRACT
Intrduction: Obesity and chronic diseases have been increasing since the last few decades alongside rapid economic development in developed and developing countries. The alarming increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity had been shown by many epidemiological studies worldwide. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Chineseschool children in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, and to map the association between dietary practices and their nutritional status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 278 school children aged 10 to 12 years old (144 boys and 134 girls) studying in a Chinese primary school in Kota Bharu. Results: The survey revealed that while only 1.4% (n=4) were overweight, 23.4% (n=65) of the children were obese. A total of 67.7% (n=44) of the obese children were boys. The overweight and obese children (n=70) were compared with a randomly selected group of normal weight children (n=70). Dietary assessment showed that protein, fat and total calorie intake were significantly higher among the overweight group (p<0.05). A significantly higher proportion of the normal weight children (85.7%) took breakfast daily or at least 4 days per week compared to the overweight groups (59.4%) (p<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity among school children in the study is a matter of concern. These findings may be useful in targeting programmes and strategies for prevention and intervention of childhood obesity.

Keywords: Chinese, obesity, school children


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