Investigation of dietary intake and obesity status in a pediatric population from Northern Greece

Purpose The aim of this study is to record the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to explore any relationship with nutritional status in Greek children aged 6‐15 years. Design/methodology/approach A total of 524 children participated in the study. Anthropometric and dietary characteristics were recorded for all subjects. Findings The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 21.1 per cent and 8.4 per cent for boys and 17.6 and 7.3 per cent for girls, respectively. Dietary intakes of energy, fat, protein, lipids and sugar were higher in overweight and obese children compared with the normal ones ( p < 0.001), while fibre intake was lower in the overweight and obese group ( p < 0.001) than in the normal group. The current study gives an estimation of overweight and obesity in children from Northern Greece. The composition of diet, especially low in fibre, vitamin D and high in energy and fat may play a role in the etiology of obesity. Originality/value The paper presents information on obesity prevalence in a Mediterranean country as well as integration of some nutrients in the etiology of obesity.