KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE REGARDING DIETARY HABITS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN KHAMMAM TOWN

INTRODUCTION: Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally and there is an alarming trend in the rise in childhood obesity. In the majority it is caused by an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise in children. With more fast-food restaurants appearing on every street corner it gives children an easy way to eat more unhealthy food. Children are also happier when they sit for hours in front of television or play on their play station. Studies show that in India, nearly 15 to 20% of children are overweight and 30% are in the risk of falling in this category. Although much importance has been given to under-nutrition in our country, obesity is slowly emerging as the future-killer. Hence this study is a small endeavour to know the knowledge and attitude of school children studying in government and private schools in Khammam regarding dietary habits. MATERIALS & METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out to study the Knowledge, attitude and dietary practices of secondary school students in Khammam town over a period of two months. List of schools was obtained from Secondary Education Board. Among the total available schools 128 (includes 38 Government, 90 Private schools), 12 schools were included in the study (6 schools from Government & 6 schools from Private strata were selected conveniently). Pre tested, pre designed questionnaire was given to Students that included questions on their eating habits and physical activity and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated using Quetelets index. Body mass index (BMI) was used to assess students' weight status. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS version 21.0). OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a randomly selected government and private urban schools in Khammam. To assess the Knowledge, attitude regarding dietary practices of secondary school students of Khammam town. RESULTS: Among total number of students selected for study (847) 55.85% were male and 44.15% were female. Majority (96.58%) of the children belong to 13-16 years of age. Almost 50.06% are from government and 49.94% are from private school. The overall prevalence of overweight was 1.77% and obesity was 1.18%.