Urban–Rural Disparities in the Prevalence and Determinants of Childhood Obesity Among Adolescents Aged 10–19 Years in Delta South Senatorial District, Nigeria
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern, especially in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria. Limited data exist on its prevalence and associated risk factors in many regions.
Objectives: To assess and compare the prevalence of childhood obesity among adolescents aged 10–19 years in urban and rural communities of Delta South Senatorial District, Delta State, Nigeria.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to July 2024 across 21 schools using multistage sampling. A total of 1,250 adolescents were recruited; 1,178 were eligible for analysis. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. BMI was calculated and classified using International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-offs. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, with Chi-square for categorical variables.
Results: The overall obesity prevalence was 15.3%; overweight and underweight were 21.7% and 21.6%, respectively. Urban adolescents had significantly higher obesity rates (17.3%) than rural counterparts (10.2%) (p < 0.05). Females represented 61.0% of obese cases. Unhealthy dietary habits, including high consumption of fast foods (60.6%) and sugary beverages (61.5%), were more common among urban respondents. Adolescents with poor diets were 2.45 times more likely to be obese (95% CI: 1.68–3.56), and those with <60 minutes of daily physical activity had 82% increased risk (OR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.29–2.57).
Conclusions: The high prevalence of obesity among adolescents, particularly in urban areas, highlights the role of unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. Targeted school-based interventions and food policy regulations are urgently needed.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Journal is owned, published and copyrighted by the Nigerian Medical Association, River state Branch. The copyright of papers published are vested in the journal and the publisher. In line with our open access policy and the Creative Commons Attribution License policy authors are allowed to share their work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.
The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations. While the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate on the date of its going to press, neither the authors, the editors, nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.
TNHJ also supports open access archiving of articles published in the journal after three months of publication. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g, in institutional repositories or on their website) within the stated period, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access). All requests for permission for open access archiving outside this period should be sent to the editor via email to editor@tnhjph.com.
How to Cite
References
1. World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight. Geneva: WHO; 2021 [cited 2025 Jun 22]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
2. Kumar S, Kelly AS. Review of childhood obesity: From epidemiology, etiology, and comorbidities to clinical assessment and treatment. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017;92(2):251–65.
3. Sanya EO, Ayodele OE. Obesity and hypertension: two sides of the same coin. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2018;20(1):3–4.
4. Halfon N, Larson K, Slusser W. Associations between obesity and comorbid mental health, academic and social problems: Implications for intervention. Acad Pediatr. 2017;17(5):497–503.
5. Popkin BM, Reardon T. Obesity and the food system transformation in the developing world. Obes Rev. 2018;19(1):102–12.
6. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Urbanization Prospects 2018: Highlights. New York: UN DESA; 2019 [cited 2025 Jun 22]. Available from: https://population.un.org/wup/
7. Olatona FA, Onabanjo OO, Ugbaja RN, Nnoaham KE, Adelekan DA. Dietary habits and metabolic risk factors for non-communicable diseases in a university undergraduate population. J Health Popul Nutr. 2018;37(1):21.
8. Oduwole A, Ladapo T, Fajolu I, Ekure E, Adeniyi OF. Obesity and elevated blood pressure among adolescents in Lagos, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2017;17(1):281.
9. Musa DI, Toriola AL, Goon DT, Jonathan AA. Prevalence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity in Benue State, Nigeria. Tanzan J Health Res. 2017;19(1):1–10.
10. Ojogwu C, Eze N. Urban dietary transitions and adolescent health risks in Nigeria: A review. Afr J Food Agric Nutr Dev. 2020;20(3):15912–24.
11. Abubakar B, Musa A. Food consumption patterns and nutritional transition in rural Nigerian communities. Int J Nutr Metab. 2021;13(2):25–33.
12. Patton GC, Sawyer SM, Santelli JS, et al. Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing. Lancet. 2016;387(10036):2423–78.
13. Simmonds M, Llewellyn A, Owen CG, Woolacott N. Predicting adult obesity from childhood obesity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obes Rev. 2016;17(2):95–107.
14. Adeboye B, Dairo MD, Ajayi IO. Adolescent sedentary behaviour and obesity risk: a Nigerian perspective. Niger J Clin Pract. 2020;23(6):789–96.
15. Raghav SK, Rastogi S, Singh N, Maheshwa C, Davey S, Pandey P. Prevalence of Obesity among School Going Adolescents in Urban and Rural Areas of District Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. Healthline J. 2020;11(1):29–34.
16. Adeloye D, Ige-Elegbede JO, Ezejimofor M, Owolabi EO, Ezeigwe N, Omoyele C, Mpazanje RG, Dewan MT, Agogo E, Gadanya MA, Alemu W, Harhay MO, Auta A, Adebiyi AO. Estimating the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria in 2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Med. 2021 Dec;53(1):495-507. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2021.1897665. PMID: 33783281; PMCID: PMC8018557.
17. Bawazeer N. M. (2025). Developing and validating a social media and dietary habits questionnaire using the integrated behavioural model for young adults. Digital health, 11, 20552076251374136. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251374136
18. Sani MA, Goni UM. Urbanization and obesity among Nigerian children: trends and correlates. J Public Health Afr. 2018;9(3):906.
19. Ekpo A, Nwankwo B. Rural lifestyle and adolescent health: Implications for obesity prevention in Nigeria. Afr J Med Health Sci. 2020;19(2):123–9.
20. Adeyemo FO, Osaguona P, Okonkwo I. Parental influence on adolescent eating patterns in Nigeria. Niger J Clin Nutr. 2019;10(2):27–34.
21. Okeke EC, Onimawo I, Akinyele I. Access to nutrition counseling services and dietary choices among adolescents in Delta State. Niger J Nutr Sci. 2022;43(1):64–72.
22. Akinyemi J, Adelekan A, Adebowale SA. Street food consumption and dietary diversity among Nigerian adolescents. Public Health Nutr. 2021;24(2):376–84.
23. Muthuri SK, Wachira LJ, Onywera VO, Tremblay MS. The role of lifestyle and behavior in obesity in African youth. Obes Rev. 2019;20(S2):34–45.
24. Ng M, Fleming T, Robinson M, et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2014;384(9945):766–81.
25. Salami KK, Ayoola K. Environmental and social barriers to physical activity in urban Nigeria. Afr J Reprod Health. 2020;24(4):78–86.
26. Olayiwola IO, Ketiku AO. Socio-demographic and nutritional assessment of the elderly Yorubas in Nigeria. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2006;15(1):95–101.
27. Bhurtun DD, Jeewon R. Body Weight Perception and Weight Control Practices among Teenagers. ISRN Nutr. 2013; 2013:395125.
28. Oguntona CRB, Razaq MA, Akintola TT. Pattern of dietary intake and consumption of street foods among Nigerian students. Nutr Health. 1998;12(4):247–56.
29. Muthuri SK, Wachira LJ, Onywera VO, Tremblay MS. Correlates of objectively measured overweight/obesity and physical activity in Kenyan school children: results from ISCOLE-Kenya. BMC Public Health. 2014; 14:436.
30. Abubakar HA, Shahril MR, Mat S. Nutritional status and dietary intake among Nigerian adolescent: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2024; 24:1764.
31. Yuksel HS, Şahin FN, Maksimovic N, Drid P, Bianco A. School-based intervention programs for preventing obesity and promoting physical activity and fitness: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(1):347.