Prevalence of Obesity among School-going Children in India: A Comprehensive Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Spatial Analysis

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a notable public health concern in India and other developing nations. There are many published articles on the prevalence of obesity among school children in various states of India. Estimating obesity prevalence at state and national levels will help understand its distribution and guide effective prevention strategies. To estimate the pooled prevalence of obesity among school-going children in India using a systematic review and spatial analysis. This systematic review and meta-analysis include cross-sectional studies from 1995 to 2023, reporting the prevalence of obesity among school-going children in India. Two authors independently screened and extracted data from PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and the random effect model was used as there was high heterogeneity (I2 >50%). Spatial analysis and cumulative meta-analysis were performed using R and STATA software. A total of 125 articles were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The overall pooled prevalence of obesity was found to be 6.97% (95% CI: 5.97, 7.97). Among the different regions of India, the highest pooled prevalence was found in the Northern region, that is, 8.58% (95% CI: 5.47, 11.69), and the lowest in the Central region, that is, 5.63% (95% CI: 3.95, 7.31). The cumulative analysis indicated a rising trend in the prevalence of obesity among school-going children over the years. This meta-analysis offers vital insights into its scope and geographical distribution, helping to develop effective strategies to prevent its persistence into adulthood.