Determinants of Obesity in Adolescent School Children in Gurgaon City, Haryana

The present investigation was conducted on school going children (9-15 years) from Gurgaon city, Haryana state India. A total of 200 obese and 50 healthy children (as non-obese) were selected randomly. A well-structured questionnaire was developed and used to gather information on food habits, physical activity and dietary pattern of the children. The study revealed that more than 80% of the obese children were taking either mid-morning, tea time or bed time snacks. Intake of fried food and weekly frequency of food consumption outside home was higher (59%) in obese children as compared to control group children. Playing of games was the main activity of non-obese group children (36%).Majority of obese children (78%) were not doing any physical activity and only 7% obese children were doing cycling and 13% were doing walking. Majority of non-obese group children spent less than 2hrs for TV and internet whereas 81% of obese children spent more than 2hrs for TV and internet. It was noticed that more than fifty percent of obese children spent less than 6hrs for sleeping.