The situation of obesity and overweight children in Albania

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity and overweight is a serious health problem because it reduces longevity and quality of life. Individuals with these symptoms have a high risk of developing ischemic heart disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obstructive pulmonary disease and some cancers. Obesity is mostly caused by a combination of excessive energy intake through food, lack of physical activity and genetic susceptibility, although some causes are caused by genes, endocrine system diseases, medications or mental illness. Evidence to support the view that some obese people, despite eating less, still gain weight due to a slow metabolism. In fact, most obese people have a higher energy expenditure than physically weak people, because of the energy it takes to maintain a large body weight. Background and Aim of Study: The study as part of the child obesity assessment system aims to: collect, analyze, interpret and disseminate descriptive information for monitoring overweight in children, already identified as a serious public health problem globally. Material and Methods: The methodology used consists of children aged 8-9 years. The measurements cover the period from the beginning of April to the last week of May 2021. A transversal (cross-sectional) study was undertaken which included the primary sampling units in 16 public schools and 747 pupils. All data analysis was performed using the statistical package SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 20.0) and Microsoft Office Excel 2010. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to estimate the linear relationships of numerical variables, where they were considered statistically considerable values p≤0.05. Results: The prevalence of overweight is significantly higher in male children compared to female. The obesity prevalence interval by gender is 21 (5.7%) boys and 6 (1.6%) girls. Efforts to maintain weight were much more evident in girls than in boys. This behavior was more pronounced with increasing age. Conclusions: The school for its own function and competencies should become an ideal place for concrete actions in promoting a healthy diet and physical activity, as necessary factors for the psycho-physical wellbeing of children.