Authors : Tejashree A. Joshi & Prajakta J. Nande
Page Nos : 390- 404
Description :
The purpose of the study was to observe the differences in macronutrient intake and physical fitness among normal weight (NW), overweight (OW) and obese (O) school going girls. Female children were purposively selected from schools of Mumbai, Nashik, Nagpur and Pune cities from Maharashtra. A total of 450 girls (50 girls from NW, OW & O category from each age group of 10, 11 & 12 yrs were selected. The data regarding macronutrient intake was collected by taking three days dietary recall and energy derived from macronutrients was calculated. Fitness tests including sit and reach test, sergeant jump test and sit up test were conducted and the scores were compared to the normative data for age. The results suggest that the mean values of macronutrient intake of OW and O girls of all age groups (10 yrs, 11 yrs and 12 yrs) were high as compared with NW girls. Mean values of all the three fitness tests of OW and O girls were lower than NW girls. The study concluded that there is a vast difference among NW, OW & O girls for macronutrient intake and physical fitness. From a public health perspective, observations in the present study suggest the importance of primary prevention of obesity from early childhood with continuation of health promotion activities throughout the course of life to control cardiovascular risks associated with overweight and obesity.
