ESPE Abstracts

Background: Having the onset in childhood or adolescence obesity in one third of adult people is known to progress resulting in complications. A number of studies demonstrated preservation of excessive weight in 80% of obese adolescents.

Objective and Hypotheses: The work was initiated to analyze prevalence of excess body mass and obesity among children and adolescents residing in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Method: We examined 3140 children and adolescents aged from 6 to 18 (mean age 13.4 years, Me 14.0; IQR10.0–17.0). The study was designed to include anthropometric parameters, such as, body mass, height, BMI and waist circumference. Excess weight and obesity were verified by means of international BMI criteria with age and sex of the patient taken into account. BMI ranging from 85th to 97th percentiles, body mass was assessed as the excessive one, those above the 97th indicated obesity.

Results: There were 1613 boys and 1527 girls (51.4 and 48.6%, respectively). Excessive body and obesity was registered in 239 and 48 patients (7.6 and 4.1%, respectively). Obesity was found in boys insignificantly less frequently than in girls (2.2 vs 1.9%, P=0.69). Obese persons of 10 years of age or older were more frequently registered both among boys (76.8 vs 23.2%, P<0.0001) and girls (70.0 vs 30.0%, P<0.0001). Excessive body mass was found in 4.1 and 2.2% of cases among boys and girls, respectively. Prevalence of excessive body mass was observed more frequently among boys (86.1 vs 13.9%, P<0.0001) and girls (79.8 vs 2.2%, P<0.0001) above ten.

Conclusion: Prevalence of excessive body mass and obesity among children and adolescents aged from 6 to 18 years residing in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was 7.6 and 4.1%, respectively. Gender differences in the prevalence of obesity were not found. Excessive body mass and obesity was registered more frequently among persons above ten.