title: Prevalence of obesity in school-going children of Karachi.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is an emerging problem in Pakistan. The authors sought to determine prevalence of obesity and malnutrition in school-going children, from grades 6(th) to 8(th) of different schools of Karachi and assess associations that affect the weight of the children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A cross sectional study design with children studying in grades 6(th) to 8(th) grade, in different schools of Karachi. We visited 10 schools of which 4 consented; two subsidized government schools and two private schools. A questionnaire was developed in consultation with a qualified nutritionist. Height and weight were measured on calibrated scales. A modified BMI criterion for Asian populations was used. Data was collected from 284 students. Of our sample, 52% were found to be underweight whereas 34% of all the children were normal. Of the population, 6% was obese and 8% overweight. Of all obese children, 70% belonged to the higher socio-economic status (SES) group, while of the underweight children, 63.3% were in the lower SES. Amongst obese children in our study, 65% ate meat every day, compared to 33% of normal kids.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity and undernutrition co-exist in Pakistani school-children. Our study shows that socio-economic factors are important since obesity and overweight increase with SES. Higher SES groups should be targeted for overweight while underweight is a problem of lower SES. Meat intake and lack of physical activity are some of the other factors that have been highlighted in our study.
authors.affiliation: Medical College, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. haider_warrraich@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Haider Javed
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Warraich
authors.forename: Faisal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Javed
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faraz-Ul-Haq
authors.forename: Fariha Batool
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Khawaja
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saleem
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013851:Thinness