Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adolescents of Islamabad: A Cross Sectional Study

Adolescence is one of the fundamental processes of life, where transformation in composition of the body along with behavioral and physiological take place making the adolescents one of the most vulnerable group of population in the community and it is extremely important to take care of their nutritional as well as health status. Present study was carried out to find the prevalence of obesity in adolescents of Islamabad, so that; their health and well-being can be improved. A total of 315 adolescents studying in different schools both male and female within the age range of 15-19 were selected after proper sample size calculation. For data collection a pre-tested self-report questionnaire was used in order to find out the level of obesity and factors leading to overweight and obesity. Results reveal that 74% of the adolescents living in Islamabad had a normal body mass index (BMI)-for-age, 17.4% are overweight while 8.5% are obese. It was found that with increase in age and grade, level of overweight and obesity was higher.