The Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight and Its Relevance to Transportation Among Primary School Students: Yazd, Iran; 2015

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in all age groups, especially in childhood, has become alarming. Identification, intervention, and prevention are important factors affecting it. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association the body mass index (BMI) in children and transportation to school in greater areas of Yazd during 2014 - 2015. Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study. It was conducted on 2000 primary school students between six to 13 years old who lived in the greater areas of Yazd. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire. Anthropometrics were collected using standardized instruments. Results: In this study, 2000 students were enrolled and 1700 students’ information aged between six to 13 years were recruited completely. About 42% of the participants were male. The mean ± SD age of students was 9.55 (± 1.9) years old. The frequency of normal weight was 56%, overweight was 10.9%, and obesity was 20.6. Students who actively commuted to school had a lower BMI (P = 0.035). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the way students can travel could affect their BMI. The use of vehicle was higher in obese and overweight students.