Private school children in Delhi are more likely to be obese: AIIMS study

The prevalence of obesity among school-going adolescent children in Delhi is over five times higher in private schools compared to public schools, according to a new study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Notably, the prevalence of obesity is higher among boys than girls in both types of schools.

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Health parameters

The study, funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), was conducted by researchers from the departments of endocrinology, cardiac biochemistry, and biostatistics at AIIMS.

They tracked the health status of 3,888 students aged between 6 and 19 years, out of which 1,985 were from public schools and 1,903 from private schools.

The research team assessed various health parameters including blood pressure (BP), waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

To foster trust and transparency, the team also held meetings with the principals of each school to explain the objectives of the study, expected outcomes, and potential impact.

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Obesity in private schools

"The findings revealed that the prevalence of underweight children was nearly five times higher in public schools compared to private schools. Conversely, obesity was more than five times higher in private schools compared to public school students," the report said.

The study also highlighted a lack of data in India regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obesity and undernutrition.

Regional disparities

Before the pandemic, regional disparities in the prevalence of overweight (2.28 per cent-21.90 per cent) and obesity (2.40 per cent-17.60 per cent) among school-going children and adolescents had already been documented.

Hypertension was prevalent in over 7 per cent of urban adolescents aged 9-10 years, with no significant difference between public and private school students or between boys and girls.

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Metabolic syndrome

The study showed that while public school students exhibited lower rates of obesity, they were more prone to developing metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Researchers have factored in risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, lipid abnormalities, impaired fasting plasma glucose and diabetes.

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Study results

"The overall prevalence of underweight children was 4.95 per cent, with significantly higher rates in public schools than private schools. The prevalence of general obesity and central obesity were 13.41 per cent and 9.15 per cent, respectively, both significantly higher in private schools," the report stated.

"The overall prevalence of hypertension was 7.37 per cent, with no significant difference between public and private schools. Private school students showed a 2.37 times higher prevalence of impaired fasting plasma glucose and a 3.51 times higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to public school students," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)