Prevalence of Obesity among School Going Children in Selected Schools

School age is a significant period of human life. It is the segment of life span that extends from age 6 to12years. This is a time of gradual growth and development with steadier and more even progress in both physical and emotional aspects. Children develop a taste for a variety of high-calorie foods, combined with the tendency toward more sedentary activities, have contributed to an epidemic of childhood overweight. It is a serious handicap to the social life of a child. Obesity refers to the state of weighing more than average for height and body built. METHODOLOGY A descriptive- cross sectional study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of obesity in school children at selected schools, Nellore District Andhra Pradesh. The sample size was 200 school going children and the Non-probability convenience sampling technique was used for selection. of subjects. Prevalence of obesity was determined by measuring HT and WT & B. M. I classification. Semi structured questionnaire was used to assess the dietary and physical activity. Results. Findings show that among 200 children 20 % (40) are normal 35.5 % (71) were overweight and 44.5 % (89) were obese. Term maturity and dietary pattern showed significant association with the prevalence of obesity. Conclusion the study concludes that prevalence of obesity is high among school children children, Dietary habits and physical activity have significant association with prevalence of obesity.