ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Childhood obesity is the leading non-infectious epidemic worldwide. The aetiopathogenesis of obesity is highly complex and is linked to the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Screening for it and preventing it at an early stage is a public health priority, with the aimof reducing the early morbidity and mortality associated with its multi-systemic complications, dominated by cardiovascular and metabolic complications.

Objective: Primarily to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in pupils aged 6 to 11 years in Batna, and secondarily to study the associated risk factors.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of 3172 pupils in primary schools in the three communes of Batna during the 2018-2019 school year. The study is based on the use of a questionnaire for parents to study risk factors, a clinical examination for the accuracy of anthropometric parameters and BP.

Results: The prevalence of overweight including obesity was determined to be 21.3% according to the IOTF 2000 reference, of which 7.8% were obese; according to the WHO 2007 reference, 26.8% were overweight including obesity, 12.7% were obese; severe obesity was found in 1.4% of pupils according to the IOTF 2000 reference and 3.3% according to the WHO 2007 reference. Parental obesity was strongly associated with pupil obesity, with a significant positive correlation, as was the mother's high socio-economic and educational level. Skipping breakfast, excessive consumption of fizzy and sugary drinks, and spending a lot of time in front of the screens. 2.7% of obese pupils had grade 1 hypertension and 16.2% had pre-hypertension.

Discussion: 1 in 5 Batnean pupils are overweight or obese, and our prevalence of this condition is one of the highest in Algeria. This may be linked to the fact that the figures change from one year to the next, in the absence of a health strategy aim ed at preventing it. The risk factors identified are mainly related to components of the obesogenic environment and to genetic risk, which is in line with the majority of local and international Algerian studies.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of overweight and obesity (21.3%), with a significant rate of severe obesity, confirms the authenticity of this public health problem in Batna, and raises the need to plan health strategies for its early detection and prevention.