Trends in Growth and Weight Abnormalities of School Children and Adolescents in Ota, Southwest Nigeria
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Body weight abnormality, particularly underweight or obesity, is linked with high morbidity and mortality rates. The
objective of this study was to determine the growth and weight abnormality pattern in school children and adolescents in Ota,
Nigeria. A total of 926 subjects (357 boys and 569 girls) aged 2–19 years, randomly selected from schools in Ota, participated
in the study. The subjects were divided into five groups: early childhood (2–5 years), middle childhood (6–9 years), late
childhood (10–12 years), early adolescence (13–16 years) and late adolescence (17–19 years). Weights and heights were
measured and used to calculate body mass indices (BMI). Body weight categories were defined using C DC age– and sex–
specific BMI cut-offs. Results showed progressive growth in both sexes; weights and heights increased steadily with age. Weight
abnormality (22.4% overall) decreased with age; it was 43.8%, 31.1%, 20.0%, 19.5% and 17.7% respectively in early
childhood, middle childhood, late childhood, early adolescence and late adolescence. The study showed that weight deficiency
(underweight) and weight excess (overweight + obesity) co-exist in school children and adolescents in Ota, Nigeria. Weight
deficiency prevailed in early childhood whereas weight excess was more prevalent in older children and adolescents.
Underweight occurred most (29.2%) in early childhood while overweight (12.2%) and obesity (9.2%) were highest in middle
childhood. Weight deficiency was 10.4% in boys and 7.9% in girls whereas weight excess accounted for 13.9% in girls and
12.6% in boys. The prevalence of underweight, an index of under-nutrition, in early childhood underscores the high level of
under-five mortality in Nigeria. Malnutrition in children must be addressed if Nigeria hopes to achieve the Millennium
Development Goal (MDG-4) of reducing child mortality by a two-third by the year, 2015. Keywords: Obesity, Overweight,
Underweight, C hildren, Adolescents, Nigeria
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QH301 Biology