title: Prevalence of and contributing factors for overweight and obesity among Montenegrin schoolchildren.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Newly emerging Western style economic systems provide new opportunities to study the prevalence and predictors of childhood obesity. We also provide for the first time a national study of childhood obesity using all three international anthropometric criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included 4097 Montenegrin children, 2076 boys (50.7%) and 2021 girls. Anthropometric measurements were performed in school. The questionnaire for parents included questions on 24 potential contributing factors for childhood obesity. Nutritional status was assessed according to World Health Organization, US Center for Disease Prevention and Control and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall percentage of Montenegrin children who are overweight or obese (IOTF) is 22.9% of which 5.3% are obese (7.0% boys vs. 3.5% girls). We found 10 factors to be independently associated with child obesity. Positive relations [odds ratio (95% confidence interval)] were found with maternal obesity [2.05 (1.68-2.51)], paternal obesity [1.67 (1.32-2.10)], paternal employment [1.40 (1.12-1.74)], maternal smoking [1.32 (1.08-1.61)], obesity at birth [1.33 (1.04-1.70)] and computer game playing [per hour--1.11 (1.00-1.24)]. Negative relations were found with female gender [0.64 (0.53-0.78)], the number of siblings [0.88 (0.78-0.98)], birth order [0.73 (0.64-0.83)] and age [0.92 (0.88-0.98)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One out of four Montenegrin children is overweight, with two times more frequent obesity among boys compared with girls. Some previously salient predictors did not appear salient in this sample. To enable worldwide comparability, we propose the use of all three childhood obesity criteria in national studies.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department for Pathophysiology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Milica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinovic
authors.affiliation: 2 Institute of Hygiene and Medical Ecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia goran.belojevic@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Belojevic
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Design and Environmental Analysis and of Human Development, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gary W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Dragan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lausevic
authors.affiliation: 5 Neurosurgery Clinic, Medical Faculty, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asanin
authors.affiliation: 6 Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Institute for Children's Diseases, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samardzic
authors.affiliation: 7 Department of Statistics, Institute of Public Health of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Natasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Terzic
authors.affiliation: 8 Department of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Snezana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pantovic
authors.affiliation: 9 Centre for Laboratory Diagnostics, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaksic
authors.affiliation: 9 Centre for Laboratory Diagnostics, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boljevic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054548:Montenegro / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D010290:Parents; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires