Magnitude of overweight and obesity and associated factors among public and private secondary school adolescent students in Mekelle City, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, 2019: Comparative cross-sectional study

Background: Overweight and obesity emerged as one of the most serious public health concerns in adolescents. Overweight and obesity are problems of not only high income but also low-middle income countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of overweight and obesity among public and private secondary school adolescents in Mekelle city, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2019. Materials and Methods: A school-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Mekelle city, from April to May 2019. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 858 participants. Chi-square test was checked before bivariate logistic regression analyses. All variables at a p-value <0.25 in bivariate logistic regression were entered into a multivariable logistic regression to determine the association between a set of independent variables with the dependent variable. Finally, statistical significance was declared at a p-value <0.05. Results: The magnitude of overweight and obesity in private and public schools were 11.8% and 3.9%, respectively. Consuming dinner not daily [AOR=5.3:95% CI=1.93–14.6] and working moderate-intensity sports at least 10 minutes/day continuously [AOR=0.19:95% CI=0.04–0.9] were associated factors of overweight and obesity in public school adolescent students. Being female [AOR=2.03:95% CI=1.08–3.8], time taken from home to public physical activities ≤15 minutes [AOR=3.6:95% CI=1.13–11.51], using transport from school to home [AOR=2.2:95% CI=1.06–4.18] and good knowledgeable adolescents [AOR=0.5:95% CI=0.27–0.9] were associated factors of overweight and obesity in private schools. Conclusion: The magnitude of overweight and obesity was higher among private schools. Consuming dinner not daily and working moderate-intensity sports at least 10 minutes/day continuously were the associated factors for the occurrence of overweight and obesity in public school adolescent students. Being female, time taken from home to public physical activity facilities ≤15 minutes, using transport from school to home, and nutritional knowledge status of adolescents were associated factors for overweight and obesity in private school adolescent students.