Investigation of Factors Associated with Overweight and Obesity Prevalence in Secondary School Students - Research Paper

Oct 15, 2026

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The study investigates whether time spent watching television and using computers is associated with overweight and obesity among Turkish secondary school students aged 11 to 14. Conducted in 2016 in Zonguldak across 5th to 7th grades, it included 476 students (52.3% female, 47.7% male). Data were collected via a Personal Information Form and BMI was measured using a bioelectric impedance analyzer. Results show 20% of students were overweight or extremely overweight, with elevated screen time linked to higher risk across genders.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Obesity and overweight as a public health issue

Sedentary behaviors and technology use

Methodology

Research model

African Educational Research Journal Special Issue 8(2), pp. S232-S239, October 2020 DOI: 10. 30918/AERJ.8S2.20.051 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper Investigation of factors associated with overweight and obesity prevalence in secondary school students Tevfik Cem Akalın* and Mustafa Gümüş School of Physical Education and Sports, Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkey. | ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the time spent on viewing television and using computer is associated with overweight and obesity among 11- to 14-y-old Turkish secondary school students' . This study was carried out in 5th, 6th and 7th grades of two secondary schools in Zonguldak province in 2016. A total of 476 students, 52.3%(n = 249) female and 47.7%(n = 227) male, between the ages of 10 and 13 and continuing to secondary school, participated in the study. The data of the study were collected with the"Personal Information Form" and body mass index (BMI) measurements were made with the bioelectric impedance analyzer system. According to the results of current study; 20% of secondary school students were found to be overweight and extremely overweight. Extremely overweight children used computers for >2 hours a weekday is 1.55 times, watched TV is 1.67 times higher than normal children. Although the frequency of overweight is higher in female secondary school students than in male, overweight or obesity in both genders is a serious threat to health.
Keywords: Overweight, obesity, secondary school student, physical activity. | | --- | | *Corresponding author. E-mail: [tc.akalin@hotmail.com. Tel:](tc.akalin@hotmail.com. Tel:) 90-532-341-41-59. | INTRODUCTION Obesity and overweight constitute a major public health problem, and their prevalence is increasing worldwide atan alarming rate in both developing and developed countries (WHO, 2013) . WHO has described obesity asthe worst non-infectious epidemic in history (WHO Consultation on Obesity, 1998) . During the past two decades, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has also increased rapidly in children, largely due to growing urbanization and nutrition transitions (Popkin and Gordon-Larsen, 2004) . Globally, around one in 10 young people aged 5 to 17 years are overweight or obese, with levels increasing rapidly in many countries and regions in recent years (WHO Obesity and overweight, 2020) . The vast majority of overweight or obese children live in developing countries, where the rate of increase has been more than 30% higher than that of developed countries. Without intervention, obese infants and young children will likely continue to be obese during childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Obese children are more likely to develop a variety of health problems as adults. These include: cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, musculoskeletal disorders, some cancers, disability (WHO Facts and Figures on Childhood Obesity, 2020) . Prevention of obesity in children is largely dependent on healthy lifestyle behaviors including regular physical activity, decreased sedentary behaviors, and a healthy diet, low in saturated fats and sugars. Evidence suggests that environmental factors play a significant role in lifestyle behaviors (Drewnowski and Specter, 2004a ; Drewnowski et al. , 2004b) . The widespread use of advanced technological devices (smart mobile phones, televisions, computers, tablets, home theater, etc. ) that easily fill leisure time contributes significantly to the increase in obesity (TEMD Obezite, 2016) . Regular physical activity is associated with prevention of obesity in children and adolescents and is inversely correlated with total body fat and BMI (Maziak et al. , 2008, Abbott and Davies, 2004) . Current global recommendations state that young people aged 5 to 17 years should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every day and include vigorous-intensity activities at least three ti

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study?

The study examines whether television viewing time and computer use time are associated with overweight and obesity among 11- to 14-year-old Turkish secondary school students.

How was the study conducted and who participated?

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 2016 in two secondary schools in Zonguldak province. A total of 476 students from 5th, 6th, and 7th grades participated (ages 10 to 13).

How were BMI and related data collected?

Data were gathered using a Personal Information Form, and BMI measurements were taken with a bioelectric impedance analyzer system.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford