Journals Information
Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 9(5), pp. 208 - 217
DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2021.090502
Reprint (PDF) (433Kb)
The Problem of Overweight and Obesity - Does Geographical Location Matter?
Klaudia Kukurová 1,2,*, Dilsad Ahmed 3, Jian Wang 4, Min Liu 5, Raul Calderon 6, Suporntip Pupanead 7, Yongkoo Noh 8, Rui Gao 9, Jiaxi Hu 1, Yi Zhao 1, Yang Yang Xie 1, Wilfred Wong 10, Walter Ho 1, Patrick Ip 10
1 Faculty of Education, University of Macao, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
2 Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava 814 99, Slovakia
3 College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331, Oregon, United States
4 College of Exercise and Health Science, Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin, 301617, China
5 School of Physical Education and Educational Science, Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin, 301617, China
6 Faculty of Sports Science, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom, 73140, Thailand
7 Faculty of Education and Development Sciences, Kasetsart University, Nakhon Pathom, 73140, Thailand
8 Department of Policy Development, Korean Institute of Sport Science, Seoul, 01794, Republic of Korea
9 College of Sport Training Sciences, Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin, 301617, China
10 Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
ABSTRACT
The number of people with overweight and obesity issues has been increasing rapidly worldwide. This increase is related to many factors including physical activity, social background, economic development, cultural practices, etc. This study examined the body mass index (BMI) of 25,373 children, aged 6-12 years, from four Asian cities to assess children's health status and the association of geographical location with BMI issues. BMI data were calculated and classified according to the WHO criteria. Differences in height, weight, and BMI were calculated for boys and girls from different cities. Cross-city analyses revealed significant differences: children from the cities in higher latitudes had the highest chances of problems with overweight and obesity, compared with those in latitudes close to equator. There were a greater number of obese boys than girls. The most rapid increase of overweight and obesity issues in children occurred from ages 8-10 years, suggesting that this was a critical period in their development. Our findings suggest a geographical trend of a gradual increase in overweight and obesity issues from south to north. Weight management and physical activity programs for children aged 8-10 years could be effective for easing the increase among overweight and obesity.
KEYWORDS
Asian Cities, Anthropometry, Body Mass Index (BMI), Children's Health, Geographical Matter, Public Health
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Klaudia Kukurová , Dilsad Ahmed , Jian Wang , Min Liu , Raul Calderon , Suporntip Pupanead , Yongkoo Noh , Rui Gao , Jiaxi Hu , Yi Zhao , Yang Yang Xie , Wilfred Wong , Walter Ho , Patrick Ip , "The Problem of Overweight and Obesity - Does Geographical Location Matter?," Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 9, No. 5, pp. 208 - 217, 2021. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2021.090502.
(b). APA Format:
Klaudia Kukurová , Dilsad Ahmed , Jian Wang , Min Liu , Raul Calderon , Suporntip Pupanead , Yongkoo Noh , Rui Gao , Jiaxi Hu , Yi Zhao , Yang Yang Xie , Wilfred Wong , Walter Ho , Patrick Ip (2021). The Problem of Overweight and Obesity - Does Geographical Location Matter?. Universal Journal of Public Health, 9(5), 208 - 217. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2021.090502.