Abstract:
Introduction: The magnitude of overweight is rapidly increasing in developing countries. The children
with high BMI for age are highly vulnerable for death associated with other endogenous causes. Despite
the rising prevalence of overweight in children, the evidence on prevalence and associated factors was still
insufficient in many developing countries including Ethiopia.
Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted among private Kindergarten school
children age 3-6 years in Hosanna town, from March 1to 30, 2019. A total of 470 students from 11 private
kindergarten schools were included in the study. A multi stage sampling technique was used to select the
study participants. Mothers/care givers were interviewed using pre- tested structure questionnaire by home
visit and signed consent was obtained. Weight and height measurements of children were done by
standardized instruments. Body mass index (MBI) for age Z- score was generated by using WHO
Anthroplus version 1.0.4 software. Data were entered and cleaned using EpiData3.1 and statistical
analysis were done using SPSS version 20 software. Bivariate analysis was employed to identify candidate
variables and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors independently
associated with overweight.
Results: Out of 470 sampled kindergarten school children, 432 were participated in the study with
response rate of 92%. The combined prevalence of overweight/obesity among private kindergarten school
children was 7.2%. Watching television for 2 hours and above per day (AOR= 3, 95%CI 1.3, 7.3), family
size less than five (AOR =2.8, 95%CI 1.2, 7.1), consumption of snacks for more than once per day (AOR=
4.5, 95%CI 2.0, 10.5), and using parents’ vehicles as means of transportation to school (AOR= 4, 95%CI
2, 10.4) were associated with overweight among private kindergarten school children.
Conclusions and Recommendations: The finding of this study showed that the prevalence of
overweight in kindergarten school children was an alarming. Age of children, watching television for long
hours, frequency of snack, less family size and type of transportation to school were significantly
associated with overweight in private kindergarten school children.
All concerning body should give focus on prevention of prevalence of overweight in children by
controlling the contributing factors such as watching TV for long hours.
