Lifestyle factors associated with childhood over-nutrition: A cross-sectional study among rural preschool children in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Over-nutrition (overweight/obesity) among children obesity is fast becoming a problem of global health concern because of its attendant  health consequences. Although it was regarded as a problem of only developed and affluent countries, there has been a strong suggestion of a rising  trend and prevalence of childhood obesity in the low income and third world countries where hunger is still endemic over the last three decades.This study was designed to describe the magnitude of the problems and identify the risk factors of over-nutrition among preschool children in Rivers State,  Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed to determine the prevalence and identify risk factors of over-nutrition among  preschool children in rural local government areas in Rivers State using a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Information such as socio-demographic data, lifestyle factors (level of activity), mode of transport to school, 24-hour dietary recall and anthropometric measurements were obtained from the  parents/guardians of the selected children using self-administered research questionnaires. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 20.

Results: The  study group consisted of 310 preschool children, dominated by females (57.1%). Their ages ranged from 2 to 5 years, with a mean of 2.23 ± 0.15 years.  Overnutrition was found in 27.7% of the children (overweight,10.0% and obesity,17.7%). The difference in the proportion of overnutrition across the age  group was statistically significant (P-value=0.0001). Females (31.1%) had a higher prevalence of over-nutrition than males (23.3%) but this difference in  the prevalence was not statistically significant. The preschool children in the first birth order (40%) had the highest proportion of over-nutrition. The  association between birth order and nutritional status was statistically significant. (P=0.022) Over-nutrition was  significantly more prevalent (61.3%) among the children who watched television for 2 or more hours daily as compared with those who watched for fewer hours (P=0.0001). The prevalence of over-nutrition was significantly higher among those who played computer games ≥ 2 hours per day (66.7%) than those who did not play (24.3%). (p=0.002). Overnutrition was commoner among those who ate fast food 3 – 4 times (44.3%) in a week compared to those who ate 1 – 2 times (22.1%). The association between the number of times fast food was eaten in a week and nutritional status was statistically significant (p= 0.003).  Overnutrition was significantly prevalent among the children who went to school in private cars (p= 0.0001).

Conclusions: In conclusion, the prevalence of overnutrition among rural preschool children in Rivers State, Nigeria, was high and comparable with  findings in other geographical areas. Lifestyle factors are significant in the aetiology of overnutrition and will need to be highlighted in its prevention. Combating obesity requires further research to reveal a causal relationship between overnutrition and different factors among preschool children in rural  areas.