A total of 1496 students (1183 boys) participated in
the study. Prevalence of obesity was 14.0% by IAP 2015 standards, 11.1%
by WHO standards and 5.1% by IOTF standards (Table I).
Obesity prevalence for boys was 16.2% by IAP standards, 12.8% by WHO
standards and 5.8% with IOTF standards. Overweight prevalence for boys
by IAP 2015 standards was 19.6%. Prevalence of obesity among girls was
found low for all three standards. The prevalence rates of obesity and
overweight as per IAP 2015 standards were higher than WHO 2007 and IOTF
standards. A study from New Delhi also reported similar observations
among school-aged youth [7]. The prevalence of obesity and overweight in
present study was higher than some other studies conducted in different
parts of India [1-7]. As the school children and adolescents selected in
this study belonged to affluent families, their lifestyle and dietary
habits makes them more prone to overweight and obesity. Limitations of
this study include convenience sampling, no a priori sample size
calculation, and a disproportionate boys-to-girls ratio.
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