Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa^1,, Frances Pola S. Arias¹

The rising prevalence of overweight is a result of multi-faceted factors at the individual and environmental levels. This study aims to identify the predictors of overweight and obesity among children aged 0 to 60 months old in the Philippines. The respondents were 13,021 children who participated in the 2013 National Nutrition Survey (NNS): 2,392 infants (0 to < 12 months); 4,732 toddlers (12 to < 36 months); and 5,897 pre-schoolers (46 to 60 months). In this study, individual factors are birth information, feeding practices, nutritional status, and macronutrient intake while environmental factors include socio-demographic characteristics and government program participation like vitamin A supplementation and deworming. A face-to-face interview was conducted using structured pre-tested questionnaires. Weight and height were measured using standard techniques. Chi-square test for association and Odds Ratio (OR) at 5% level of significance were used to determine the factors associated with overweight/ obesity among children. The predictor of overweight/obesity among infants is nutritional status while among toddlers and pre-schoolers the common predictors are urbanity, wealth quintile, mother’s working status, type of delivery, birth size, and household type. Additionally, other predictor among toddlers is Vitamin A supplementation while among pre-schoolers are family size, deworming, and nutritional status. Overweight and obesity among infants is predicted by individual factor while among toddlers and pre-schoolers, the factors are dominated by environmental factors. Identification of these drivers of overweight and obesity during childhood will aid program planners and policy makers in crafting appropriate nutrition interventions per targeted physiological groups.

childhood obesity, environmental, individual, predictors