Body weight status of school adolescents in Terengganu, Malaysia: a population baseline study

Aryati Ahmad; Nurzaime Zulaily; Nor Saidah Abdul Manan; Mohd Razif Shahril; Sharifah Wajihah Wafa Syed Saadun Tarek Wafa; Rahmah Mohd Amin; Engku Fadzli Hasan Syed Abdullah; Amran Ahmed

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3911-2

Body weight status of school adolescents in Terengganu, Malaysia: a population baseline study

BMC Public Health. 2017 Jan 5;17(1):9. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3911-2.

Authors

Aryati Ahmad¹, Nurzaime Zulaily², Nor Saidah Abdul Manan³, Mohd Razif Shahril⁴, Sharifah Wajihah Wafa Syed Saadun Tarek Wafa⁴, Rahmah Mohd Amin⁵, Engku Fadzli Hasan Syed Abdullah³, Amran Ahmed⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Community Development & Quality of Life, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia. aryatiahmad@unisza.edu.my.
² Institute for Community Development & Quality of Life, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
³ Faculty of Informatics & Computing, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Tembila Campus, 22200, Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia.
⁴ Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Medical Campus, 20400, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.
⁶ Institute of Engineering Mathematics, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Pauh Putra Campus, 02600, Arau, Perlis, Malaysia.

Abstract

Background: Body weight is highly associated with overall health status. Being severely thin or obese may impose the risk of many health problems. Early detection of body mass index (BMI) status may help to reduce the associated comorbidities. Although many studies in the literature have investigated the BMI of school adolescents in Malaysia, the data on status of body weight among school adolescents in suburban states like Terengganu is limited. This study aimed to describe the body weight status of the whole population of school adolescents in all seven districts in Terengganu, Malaysia.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, body weight and height were measured, and BMI was calculated and classified using WHO BMI-for-age Z-score. Data was obtained using the National Fitness Standard (SEGAK) assessment, which was uploaded in a specific Health Monitoring System (HEMS).

Results: From a total of 62,567 school adolescents, 50.7% were boys and 49.3% were girls. Girls had significantly higher BMI than boys in age groups of 13 to 15 and 16 to 17 years old. Among boys and girls, there were significant differences in mean BMI of school adolescents between rural and urban school locations in all age groups (p < 0.001). There were also significant differences in BMI between boys and girls in all districts in Terengganu, except Kemaman and Kuala Terengganu, for all age groups (p < 0.001). Overall, the prevalence of thinness, normal, overweight and obesity were 8.4, 64.6, 15.0 and 12.0%, respectively. There were significant differences between BMI categories and genders in total participants, and within rural and urban school locations (p < 0.05). In all districts except Marang and Dungun, significant difference was also found between BMI categories and genders.

Conclusion: The prevalence of thinness, overweight and obesity in Terengganu were substantial. In this study, BMI category was associated with gender, age, school location and district. However, the actual effects of these factors on the prevalence of thinness and obesity among this population demand further investigation.

Keywords: Body weight status; Malaysia; School adolescents; Terengganu.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Health Services
Body Mass Index
Body Weight*
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Malaysia / epidemiology
Male
Pediatric Obesity / epidemiology*
Pediatric Obesity / prevention & control
Prevalence
Rural Population
School Health Services
Schools