MINISTRY OF HEALTH UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING - MINISTRY OF HEALTH HANOI UNIVERSITY OF PUBLIC HEALTH SOMPHONE SOUKHAVONG PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG ADOLESCENTS AGED 15 TO 19 YEARS OLD IN PHONHONG DISTRICT, VIENTIANE PROVINCE, LAO PDR 2019 MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH CODE: 8720701 HANOI, 2020 MINISTRY OF HEALTH UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING - MINISTRY OF HEALTH HANOI UNIVERSITY OF PUBLIC HEALTH SOMPHONE SOUKHAVONG PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG ADOLESCENTS AGED 15 TO 19 YEARS OLD IN PHONHONG DISTRICT, VIENTIANE PROVINCE, LAO PDR 2019 MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH CODE: 8720701 SUPERVISORS: DR CHANDAVONE PHOXAY ASSOC. LE THI THANH HUONG DIRECTOR, NUTRITION CENTER HEAD, FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH MINISTRY OF HEALTH, LAO PDR HANOI UNIVERSITY OF PUBLIC HEALTH HANOI, 2020 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This independent study would not have been possible without the help and support of many people. I am very thankful to the Ministry of Health of the Lao PDR and the LEARN project for funding my studies at the University of Health Sciences and the Lao- THPI in Laos and at the Hanoi University of Public Health in Vietnam. Sengchanh Kounnavong, Director of Lao-TPHI and all her staff are also gratefully acknowledged for allowing me to study at the University of Health Sciences in Laos and at the Hanoi University of Public Health in Vietnam.
I am also thank to my thesis advisors Dr. Chandavone Phoxay, Director of the Nutrition Center, Ministry of Health and Assoc. Le Thi Thanh Huong, Head of the Faculty of Environmental and Occupational Health, Hanoi University of Public Health, who steered me in the right direction whenever they thought I needed it. I would also like to acknowledge the valuable comments and encouragement from the examination chair of my Independent Study Committee and also wish to thank the external members of the committee.
I am most grateful to the directors of the Vientiane Provincial Health Department as well as to the facilitators, heads of villages and the research team in Phonhong District, Vientiane Province, who kindly agreed to help and participate in this research. This study could not have been completed without their generous assistance. I am grateful as well to all the lecturers, teachers and staff of the UHS, Lao- TPHI and HUPH for their continuous assistance and helpful advice. I would like to thank Dr.
Somphou Outensackda, Miss Ammala Phommachack and my classmates for their kindness during the period of my studies at UHS and HUPH. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their love, understanding, support, and encouragement during the time I was studying in Laos and Vietnam. Somphone SOUKHAVONG ii ABBREVIATIONS BMI Body Mass Index GSHS Global School Based Health Survey Lao-TPHI Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute LSIS Lao Social Indicators Survey MOES Ministry of Education and Sports MOH Ministry of Health NCD Non-Communicable Disease NIDDK National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIOPH National Institute of Public Health UNICEF United Nations Children‟s Fund UNFPA United Nations Fund for Population Assistance WHO World Health Oganization iii CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ii LIST OF TABLES.
4 REVIEW OF LITERATURE .1 Concept of overweight and obesity .2 Concept of adolescents .3 Causes of overweight and obesity .4 Consequences of overweight and obesity .5 Classification and assessment of overweight and obesity.6 Overweight and obesity situation among adolescents .1 Overweight and obesity situation among adolescents at global level .2 Overweight and obesity situation among adolescents in Laos .3 Overweight and obesity situation among adolescents in Vientiane Province .7 Factors associated with overweight and obesity among adolescents .3 Eating habits among adolescents .4 Physical activities among adolescents .2 Study site and duration of data collection .7 Variables of the study.2 Overweight and obesity statuses among adolescents .3 Factors associated with overweight and obesity statuses among adolescents .4 Multiple logistic regression analysis of the factors associated with overweight and obesity. 75 Annex 1: Table of definition and measurement of variables in the study .6 Frequency of eating particular food items of adolescent (n=403). 81 Annex 4: BMI for age growth charts for boys and girls 5-19 years old. 90 Annex 5: Certificate of approval.
92 Annex 6: Participant Information Sheet. 94 Annex 7: Informed Consent Form. 96 Annex 8: Thesis comment. 97 Annex 9: Minutes of explanation after thesis defence.
104 v LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Demographic characteristics of adolescent aged 15-19 years old .2 Overweight and obesity statuses of adolescents aged 15-19 years old.3 Overweight and obesity statuses by gender among adolescents aged 15-19 years old .4 Overweight and obesity statuses by age among adolescents aged 15-19 years old .5 Family factors contributing to occurrence of overweight and obesity statuses of adolescents .6 Frequency of eating particular food items of adolescents aged 15-19 years old .7 Eating habits among adolescents aged 15-19 years old .8 Physical activity and sedentary behavior among adolescents .9 Association between individual factors and adolescents‟ overweight and obesity statuses .10 Association between family factors and overweight and obesity statuses among adolescents aged 15-19 years old .11 Association between eating habits of adolescents and their overweight and obesity statuses .12 Association between physical activities of adolescents and their overweight and obesity statuses .13 Multiple logistic regression analysis of the factors associated with overweight .14 Multiple logistic regression analysis of the factors associated with obesity. 54 vi SUMMARY Overweight and obesity in adolescents is increasing worldwide. Malnutrition has become a challenge to public health in developing countries. Childhood obesity increases the risk of chronic disease in adulthood.
Information about childhood overweight and obesity, however, is scarce in Laos. The researcher was therefore keen to explore the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their associated factors among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in Phonhong District, Vientiane Province, Lao PDR in 2019. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Phonhong District from 20th August to 10th September, 2019 using a cluster sampling method with 403 adolescents aged 15 to19. A face to face interview technique and anthropometric measurements were used to collect data, with the help of six well trained research assistants.
Overweight and obesity were determined when BMI for age = 23.9 kg/m2 and BMI for age ≥ 25 kg/m2, respectively. Data were processed and entered into the EpiData software and exported into the STATA application for data analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were carried out to identify the factors associated with overweight and obesity. Sixty-one percent of those studied were women, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity were 13% and 11% respectively.
High monthly family income and family eating outside the home or eating fast food were statistically significant in overweight among adolescents, with (AOR=4. Male adolescents were more positively correlated with obesity than female adolescents (AOR= 5.001), while high family monthly income (AOR=9.001) and a higher number of obese persons in the family (AOR=3.004) had a statistically significant association with the adolescents‟ obesity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents is alarming in the study area (Phonhong District). Gender, family monthly income, number of obese persons in the family, eating outside the home and eating fast food were important determinants impacting the risk factors of overweight and obesity in adolescents.
Based on the results of this study, the policymakers should concentrate on overweight and obesity in parallel with under nutrition and to improve adolescents‟ nutritional status. There is a need to include nutrition and physical education programs in schools and the community and to raise awareness among families and the community of the health benefits of proper dietary behaviors and physically active lifestyles. 1 INTRODUCTION Adolescents experience a period of rapid physical growth, psychological development and social maturation in the transition from childhood to adulthood. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5 to19 were overweight or obese and that 39% of females and 39% of males aged 18 and over were overweight.
Low- and middle- income countries are now facing a "double burden" of diseases because of the increasing prevalence of overweight or obesity among adolescents, which has risen dramatically from 4% in 1975 to over 18% in 2016. In these countries, the rise has occurred similarly between male and female young people: 18% of females and 19% of males were overweight (WHO, 2016). The 2016 Global Nutrition Report highlights an important issue: “Worldwide, millions of kids are eating too much of unhealthy foods, while millions more are not getting enough of foods to let them grow and thrive”. The epidemic of obesity in developed countries is commonly associated with poor dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle.
However, other determinants, including education background and family income, may contribute to the problem, especially in developing countries. Significant differences were found between BMI categories and gender, parents‟ occupation and educational level, household income and size, and socio- economic status (Ahmad et al. Recent studies conducted across the world have indicated that nutrition education interventions on school children have significantly improved their eating habits and informed their food choices. In East Asia and South East Asia, rapid urbanization and socio-economic development combined with changes in eating habits and in physical activities have led to an increase in obesity in adults and in children as well (WHO, 2014).
Overweight and obesity are among the five leading causes of death in the world. Since overweight and obesity are major risk factors of non- 2 communicable diseases in later life (WHO, 2020), it is important to understand the potential factors associated with body weight in adolescents. In the context of Laos, there is limited information available on the nutritional status of adolescents in general, and especially in Vientiane Province. According to the Lao Social Indicators Survey 2017, children in the province below five years of age are 33% stunted, 9% wasting, 21% underweight, and 3.5% overweight or obese (Lao Statistical Bureau, MOH, UNFPA & UNICEF, 2017).
The Global School Based Health Survey in Laos reported that 13% of students aged 13 to 17 years were overweight or obese (WHO & NIOPH 2015). Existing data show that there is an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents, together with unhealthy eating, drinking and inappropriate physical activity (Phouapanya, 2015, Keolangsy, 2017). Phonhong District is the major city of Vientiane Province, but it is less advanced than Vientiane Municipality. To date, there is no empirical study on the nutritional status of adolescents in this district.
Hence, there was a need for this exploration of the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their associated factors among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in the district. 3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES This research aimed to explore issues of adolescent nutrition in the province outside of Vientiane Capital. The focus was: 1. To estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years old in Phonhong District, Vientiane Province, Lao PDR in 2019 2.
To identify factors associated with overweight and obesity among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in Phonhong District, Vientiane Province, Lao PDR in 2019 4 CHAPTER 1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 1.1 Concept of overweight and obesity Overweight, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a condition in an individual in which they weigh more than they should in relation to their height. Overweight is generally due to extra body fat. However, overweight may also be due to extra muscle, bone, or water. Obesity, on the other hand, is a condition of excessive and abnormal fat accumulation in one body area or the whole body to a level that affects health.
People who are obese usually have too much body fat (WHO, 2000 & 2003). Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.