Overweight and obesity and eating behaviors among primary and high school students in poor rural areas of Central China

  Objective   To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and eating behaviors among primary and high school students in poor rural areas of Central China, and to provide evidences for making intervention measures.

  Methods   A total of 5 942 students were selected from 32 primary and high schools in 8 counties in poor rural areas of northeastern, central, northwestern, and southwestern Hubei province with stratified cluster sampling. Height and weight measurements were conducted among all the participants and a questionnaire survey among 2 569 primary school students of grade four and five and junior high school students of grade one and two from May to June, 2014.

  Results   The prevalence rate of overweight/obesity in the primary and high school students was 8.18% and 7.20%, respectively, without significant difference (P > 0.05); the detection rate of obesity was significantly higher in primary school students than that in high school students (2.89% vs. 1.84%, P < 0.05). The detection rate of overweight/obesity was significantly higher among the boy students than among the girl students (9.32% vs. 6.33%, P < 0.01). The annual average consumption frequency of dessert, soft drinks, fried food, and western-style fast food were at a high level in the students. Among the snacks commonly consumed by the students, the proportion was 71.87% for vegetables and fruits, 69.22% for milk and yogurt, 77.78% for biscuits and bread, 57.73% for flour-made pot foods, 65.23% for crispy and instant noodle, 52.08% for various drinks, 52.01% for puffed food, and 50.99% for candy and chocolate, respectively. The self reported proportion of hardly ever consuming beverages was only 26.33% among the students. Of all the drinks consumed by the students, 43.40% were carbonated beverages.

  Conclusion   The prevalence rate of overweight and obesity are increasing over time among primary and high school students in poor areas of Central China; concerns and intervention measures should be taken to control the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the students.