Factors Related to Health Management for Obesity Prevention among Adolescents in Lampang Province

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to study the health status management in obesity prevention and to study the factors that influence the health status management for obesity prevention among adolescents in Lampang province. The population used in this study were 400 persons aged 13-18 years who lived in the province for at least 6 months. The sample size was obtained by multi-stage sampling and the data were collected by using the questionnaire with Cronbach alpha coefficient equal to 0.89. Data were analyzed by using multiple regression analysis. It was found that factors influencing the health management in obesity prevention included social support from school, the magnitude of exercise up to 1-2 days per week, social support from friends, perception of severity of obesity, the consumption of 1-2 ladle of fresh fruit per day, consumption of sweetened beverages 1 bottle/box per day. Importantly, age had a significant effect on the management of health condition to prevent obesity (p<0.05). Altogethet, the variables could explain up to 63.70% of the health status (R2 =40.6). It could be suggested from this study that policy of services and assistance for obesity prevention that emphasize cooperation among network partners from the public sector should be promoted. Public health sector and local governments should support the development of guidelines for self-management of teens to encourage good health conditions and reduce the risk of obesity.