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. 2020 Aug 14:2020:5610834.
doi: 10.1155/2020/5610834. eCollection 2020.

Overweight and Obesity Coexist with Thinness among Lao's Urban Area Adolescents

Katiya Ivanovitch  1 , Sonemany Keolangsy  1 , Nontiya Homkham  1
Affiliations

Overweight and Obesity Coexist with Thinness among Lao's Urban Area Adolescents

Katiya Ivanovitch et al. J Obes. .

Abstract

Introduction: In recent decades, the developing countries of Southeast Asia, including the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), have experienced a rapid growth of their urban population. Partly as a result of that, issues of undernutrition and overnutrition became a significant public health problem.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their related factors, among the school-attending adolescents in the Lao capital of Vientiane.

Methods: A cross-sectional data on 300 adolescents aged 15-19 were collected during the months of March, April, and May 2018 by means of a self-administrated questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were used to obtain data on height and weight. Pearson's chi-squared test, Fisher exact tests, and univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were applied in the course of the statistical analysis.

Results: The study found a high prevalence of overweight/obesity (23.3%) and thinness (10.3%). Poor eating habits were noted in 67.0% of adolescents, even though 78.0% of them had a good knowledge of nutrition. Factors significantly associated with the overweight/obesity were low physical activities (aOR = 18.3; 95% CI: 5.51-60.66) and adolescents living with their guardians (aOR = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.08-0.79). Results also indicated that, in 47.3% of the cases, teachers, acting as a source of health and nutrition information, can prevent the risk of adolescents' overweight/obesity (aOR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.11-3.80) but not their thinness (aOR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.17-0.88).

Conclusions: Laotian adolescents are facing the spectrum of malnutrition in urban areas. To improve adolescents' nutritional status, there is a need for a collaborative approach of public health agencies that would address the issues of an effective food and nutrition policy. The school curricula should also include programs on nutrition and physical education.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study's sampling process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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