Obesity & Weight Management

Biography

Biography: Gaukhar Datkhabayeva

Abstract

Significant contributors to obesity are sedentary lifestyle and overeating conditioned by eating habits and psychological problems. To identify the prevalence behavioral risk factors for obesity in children of school age in Kazakhstan 1,400 schoolchildren aged 11-18 years representing five oblasts and two large cities (Almaty, Astana) were interviewed. The proportion of children who spend two or more hours every day in front of a TV and/or gaming on a computer/tablet/ smartphone was higher in the older age group (14-18 years) than the group aged 11-13, at 65.9 percent and 54.9 percent, respectively. Older pupils spend more time gaming rather than watching TV (59.3 percent and 46.3 percent, respectively). When asked if they eat while watching TV/smartphone/computer etc., 46 percent of interviewed children answered positively. Anxiety eating after an argument with friends, a poor grade at school, or a failure at an activity, is a rather common occurrence among schoolchildren. Almost one in every three kids (28.7 percent) has admitted to eating out of anxiety, and this proportion increases with age. Approximately a third (29 percent) of the interviewed children has experienced a desire to “eat away” loneliness/boredom, and again, this proportion increases along with age. Therefore, the bad habits associated with eating behavior and sedentary lifestyle seems to be forming in early childhood. In this regard, in order to prevent childhood obesity attention must be paid to the children’s eating behavior and how they spend leisure time starting at an early age, so that corrective measures can be taken in a timely fashion.