THE PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SOUTHWESTERN UGANDA:

ACASE STUDY OF MBARARA SECONDARY SCHOOL.

TEAM MEMBERS

AMANYA LILLIAN 2020/BSP/011/PS

SSEMAKULA JONATHAN 2020/BSP/089/PS

AKATUKUNDA OLIVIA 2020/BSP/008/PS

SUPERVISOR: Ms JUDITH OWOKUHAISA

PURPOSE:

A Research Proposal Submitted to the Department of Physiotherapy in Fulfillment of the

requirements for the ward of a Bachelors degree of Science in Physiotherapy at Mbarara
University of Science and Technology.
Declaration

We; Amanya Lillian, Akatukunda Olivia and Ssemakula Jonathan claim that the literature

presented in this proposal, titled“THE PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF

OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AMONG STUDENTS OF MBARARA SECONDARY

SCHOOL, SOUTH-WESTERN UGANDA” is our original work and has been submitted to

Mbarara University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

ward of a Bachelors Degree of Science in Physiotherapy.

NAME: AMANYA LILLIAN

Date: ………………………………… Signature: ………………………………

NAME: AKATUKUNDA OLIVIA

Date: ………………………………… Signature: ………………………………

NAME: SSEMAKULA JONATHAN

Date: ………………………………… Signature: ………………………………

Supervisor Approval

I ……………………………………………. as the supervisor approve the research proposal

presented by Akatukunda Olivia, Amanya Lillian and Ssemakula Jonathan. I have personally
reviewed this work and confirm that it is original as well as fulfilling the required academic
standards.

Date: ………………………………… Signature: ………………………………

Operational definitions

CVD: Cardiovascular Disease

NCDs: Non-communicable Diseases

BMI: Body Mass Index

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUTION

1.1: Background

Adolescence is an important period in human life. It is during this phase that major physical and

psychological growth occurs as well as social relationships and lifestyle development. These

changes have great repercussions for health (Armocida et al., 2022)

Studies have shown that health benefits attained in adolescence can be transferred into adulthood

due to the numerous permanent changes occurring in the body at this stage of growth (Marques

et al., 2020)

However, most health promotion programs have been predominantly focusing on the adult

population and neglecting the adolescents, yet there is a global increase in the burden of

mortality and disability by NCDs among the adolescents.

One of the major NCD risk factors, childhood and adolescent obesity, has increased

disproportionately in the recent years and this is estimated to cause an equally increasing

incidence of cardiovascular disease in future.(Choukem et al., 2020)

Moreover the increase in the incidence of obesity is overwhelming. The World Obesity Atlas

2022, published by the World Obesity Federation, predicts that one billion people globally,
including 1 in every 5 women and 1 in 3 every 7 men, will be living with obesity by

2030(Lobstein et al., 2022)

A systematic review that consisted of four prospective cohort studies that determined high

adiposity status of subjects from childhood to adulthood for a period of 23 years concluded that

obese adults who were obese during childhood, had increased risks of hypertension and

dyslipidemias by a factor of about 2 to 3 than the risks among subjects who were obese in

childhood but non-obese as adults. And the risk of type 2 diabetes among obese adults who had

childhood obesity, increased by a factor of 4 compared with the risk among non-obese adults

who were obese during childhood (Juonala et al., 2011).

Those affected most by obesity include adolescents from a higher social economic status due to

the lifestyles they live, people of the black ethnic group are at a higher risk of being obese

compared to the whites and Asians. It has also been observed that the prevalence of obesity is

higher among adolescent boys compared to girls (Shah et al., 2020)

The pattern of disease occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa is changing and the significance of

chronic diseases is increasing causing a significant and growing burden of death and disability in

Sub-Saharan Africa (Modjadji, 2021). With regional hypertension prevalence of 48% and

diabetes of 5.1%, It is projected that they will overtake infectious diseases as major sources of

morbidity and mortality by 2030

Approximately 80% of all cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths occur in low- and middle-

income countries especially in Africa. It is even worse that most CVDs occur at a younger age

with significant impact on national productivity (Nsanya et al., 2019). Obesity, a well-
documented predictor of non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes has tripled

over the past three decades, from 5.0% to 18.8%.

In a study that was conducted to find out the prevalence of hypertension among secondary school

adolescents in Mbarara, Southwestern Uganda, it was found out that, 3 in every 19 participants

had hypertension and that 1 in every 6 participants had pre-hypertension.(Katamba et al., 2020).

It is also important to note that, obesity is sometimes perceived as a sign of beauty and health in

sub-saharan-africa. Hence efforts to cub this rise must focus not only on the lifestyles of the

adolescents and young people but also on their attitudes. The World Health Organization

estimates that Africa has the highest age-adjusted rates of CVDs in the world

Whilst obesity has been examined extensively in high-income countries, there is inconsistent

representative data from sub-Saharan Africa about adolescent obesity and its risk factors.

It is therefore important to identify cardiovascular risk factors associated with childhood and

adolescence overweight/obesity to help in designing preventive interventions for cardiovascular

disease.

This study seeks to address the prevalence of obesity and risk factors in order to design

preventative interventions to deal with obesity among adolescents in sub Saharan Africa.

1.2: Problem Statement

Non communicable diseases are the leading cause of mortality accounting for 67% of the

global annual deaths (Akseer et al., 2020). Obesity has been described as one of the major

heath challenges, though modifiable, it is a determinant of many NCDs and the fifth leading

cause of mortality. It is therefore a public health concern that there is a tremendous increase
in childhood and adolescent obesity which indicates that a significant number of adolescents

are at a risk of contracting these NCDs yet efforts to address this issue are predominantly

focused on the adult population rather than adolescents and children.

This has led to limited and inconsistent data in regards to the prevalence of obesity and its risk

factors hence rendering the move to reduce this epidemic difficult.

1.3: Research questions

1. What is the prevalence of overweight and obesity among students attending Mbarara

Secondary School, Southwestern Uganda?

2. What are the risk factors of overweight and obesity among students attending Mbarara

Secondary School, Southwestern Uganda?

1.4: Aim and Objectives

AIM: To determine the prevalence and the risk factors of overweight and obesity among

students attending Mbarara Secondary School, Southwestern Uganda.

Objectives:

1. To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among students attending

Mbarara Secondary School, Southwestern Uganda.

2. To assess for the risk factors of overweight and obesity among students attending

Mbarara Secondary School, Southwestern Uganda.

1.5: Scope of the study

This study covers secondary school students attending mbarara secondary school.
 1.6: Significance of the study

Carrying out a study about obesity among the adolescents helps to understand the magnitude of

the problem, the appropriate intervention strategies as well as a health education strategy to the

rest of the community and is important for raising a healthy generation by the time they reach

productivity age

1.8: Conceptual Framework

PHYSIOLOGICAL
FACTORS
OBESITY
BMI
Waist circumference
Height
weight

SOCIO- LIFESTYLE
ENVIRONMENTAL
DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS
FACTORS
FACTORS
Food consumption
Community
gender
Physical activity characteristics
ethnicity (rural/urban,access to
Dietary habits unhealthy food options,
Socio-economic crime)
status Body image
Economic (cost price,
Other individual trade)
characteristics
(depression) Family influence
Peer influence
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0: Introduction

This chapter discusses about the findings from the past studies that have been conducted on the

same research topic and it includes the following sections: prevalence and risk factors of

overweight and obesity among secondary school adolescents, weaknesses and limitations of the

past studies conducted, and recommendations for future implementations from the past studies

conducted.

2.1: Prevalence of overweight and obesity

Odoch et al., (2022) conducted a study in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, Uganda, to investigate

the prevalence and the proportion of overweight and obese secondary school adolescents with

hyperglycemia where 752 subjects aged between 12-18 years were recruited. The prevalence of

overweight and obesity was found to be 15% and only 9.7% had hyperglycemia. These results

concur with the findings of a study in Kenya conducted by (Okoth et al., 2015) where 15.5% of

secondary school adolescents were overweight and obese.

(Ngwenya and Ramukumba, 2017) investigated the prevalence of adolescent obesity at a high

school in the City of Tshwane in South Africa and included 286 participants aged between 13-19

years, of whom 175 subjects responded and were willing to participate in the study. The

prevalence of obesity among adolescents was found to be 8.57% and this results coincide with

the findings of a study that was carried out by (Reddy et al.,2010)

Marko et al., (2016) assessed the prevalence of overweight and obesity among secondary school

adolescents in Mwanza, Tanzania where 381 subject aged between 16-19 years were included

and found out that 14.2% were overweight and 2.6% of the adolescents were obese. (Tluway et

al., 2018) determined that the overall prevalence of overweight and obesity among high school

adolescents in Babati District, Tanzania was 9.2%.

Ndiaye et al., (2016) assessed for overweight and obesity among students aged between 13-18

years enrolled in all 30 public secondary schools in Dakar, Senegal and the prevalence of

overweight and obesity was 11.0% and 1.4% respectively with a higher percentage in boys than

in girls.

Al-Haifi et al.,(2022) carried out a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of

overweight and obesity among adolescents and the perception of body weight by parents or

friends, 706 participants aged between 15-18years were selected from 14 Kuwaiti secondary

school and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 24.0% and 25.4% respectively.

Jagadesan et al., (2014) conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of

overweight and obesity among school children aged 6-11 years and adolescents aged 12-17 years

across 51 schools consisting of 31 private and 20 government schools in Chennai, India. A total

of 2904 adolescents from 20 government schools and 8026 adolescents from 31 private schools

participated in the study, and the findings indicated that the overall prevalence of overweight and

obesity was 21.4% in private schools and 3.6% in government schools. Adolescents had a higher

prevalence of 18.1% compared to school children with 15.5%.

Worku et al., (2021) conducted an institution-based cross-sectional study to determine the

prevalence and associated factors of overweight and obesity among high school adolescents in
Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia, 522 participants aged between 10-19 years from 18 secondary schools

around the city were recruited The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 12.5% of

which 7.7% were overweight and 10.7% were obese.

Baniissa et al., (2020) carried out a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and

predictors of overweight and obesity among adolescents aged 13-19 years and included 434

students from private schools and 498 students from public secondary schools in the United Arab

Emirates. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 34.7% and adolescents from

public schools had a higher prevalence compared to those from private schools.

Ercan et, al. (2012) conducted an anthropometric survey to investigate the prevalence and risk

factors associated with obesity among adolescents in Ankara, Turkey where 26 schools with a

total of 8848 adolescents aged between 11-18 years were included. The prevalence rates of

obesity among adolescents aged between 11-14 and 15-18 years were 5.9% and 9.6%

respectively.

Nguyen et al.,(2013) carried out a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of

overweight and obesity among adolescents aged between 11-14 years in Ho Chi Minh City,

Vietnam, and 1989 students were included from 23 public high schools. The prevalence rates of

overweight and obesity among adolescents were 17.8% and 3.2% respectively.

2.2: Risk factors of overweight and obesity

Odoch et al., (2022) established that 38.3% of the adolescents were physically inactive, 72.7%

watched television for more than 2 hours, 39.4% played computer games for 3 times a week,

4.9% of the students walked to school as a means of transport, 0.4% cycled to school while

27.8% were coming from high socio-economic status families, which were the risk factors of
overweight and obesity among secondary school adolescents. (Odoch et al., 2022) concluded that

adolescents with obesity are at a higher risk of having hyperglycemia that can develop into Type

2 Diabetes in the future.

Ndiaye et al., (2016) found out that physical inactivity and sedentary behavior were the major

risk factors whereby 47.9% of the students were transported by car to school and 71.7% watched

television in the evenings during school days. However in a similar study (Huberty et al., 2013)

identified that lack of space and equipment for physical activity, lack of time for physical activity

due to school demands and inactivity due to peer pressure from the girls, were the associated

factors of sedentary behavior among students with in the school environment.

Al-Haifi et al.,(2022) investigated the perception of body weight by parents or friends among

overweight and obese adolescents and ascertained that 37% of obese adolescents were very

much often teased by their parents and 32.4% of obese adolescents were also teased by their

friends (Al-Haifi et al., 2022)

In a study that was conducted to find out the changes in overweight and obesity and activity

patterns among youths during the COVID-19 lockdown in China under the hypothesis that social

distancing and stay-at-home orders implemented globally led to a significant decrease in leisure

time physical activity, engagement in active transport for errands and an increase in sleeping

time and screen time during the lockdown period (Yang et al., 2020)

In a study was conducted to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among

adolescents in Chennai, India, concluded that obese adolescents not only have a 70% to 80% of

having adult obesity but also have a 5-fold increased risk of hypertension than non-obese

adolescents hence there is need to increase awareness through education and motivation of all
beneficiaries in order to prevent obesity thus curbing the rate of non-communicable diseases

such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. (Jagadesan et al., 2014)

In a cross-sectional study conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors of overweight

and obesity among high school adolescents in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia, found out that

adolescents with self-employed mothers were 4.6 times more likely to be obese than those

having housewife mothers. In addition, adolescents having government-employed mothers had a

higher risk factor of 6.5 to be obese. This was attributed to the fact that self-employed and

government-employed mothers had a better economic status and most of them had car

ownerships thus the daily motorized transportation of students to and from school hence

decreased physical activity among adolescents. In addition, participants with better economic

status had increased access to both healthy and junk food stuffs thus contributing to increased

obesity (Worku et al., 2021)

In another study that was conducted to find out the determinants of overweight and obesity

among school adolescents in Butajira Town, Southern Ethiopia, 297, 71.7% were physically

inactive, 48.5% used vehicles for transportation, 52.5% had more than 3 hours of sedentary

behavior per day and 77.8% had poor nutritional knowledge. In this study, there was a higher

risk of obesity among adolescents from high socio-economic families than those from low socio-

economic families due to the greater consumption of energy-dense foods instead of healthier

foods such as fruits and vegetables. In addition, adolescents from high economic families were

transported to and from school by bus or car thus increasing their sedentary behavior. Physical

inactivity also had a significant association with obesity and these findings concur with the

results documented by (Beyen T et al., 2013) and (Teshome T et al., 2013). This study also found

out a positive relationship between sedentary behavior of more than 3 hours and obesity which
was also similar to the findings of the study conducted by (Peltzer and Pengpid, 2011) in Ghana

and Uganda illustrating that playing video games and watching television reduces the amount of

time spent playing out-door games resulting in weight gain (Kedir et al., 2022)

Baniissa et al., (2020) determined that there was a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity

among adolescents from public schools than among those from private schools and suggested

that the difference in the rates of overweight and obesity was attributed to socio-demographic

and cultural factors whereby in the UAE, public schools are mostly comprised of

Emirati/national students while private schools are mostly attended by migrant students therefore

different cultures offer unhealthy items through vending machines and also limited physical

activity facilities among these schools could have contributed to the findings. In addition, the

findings showed that 79.7% of the participating adolescents had low physical activity levels as

most of them spend their leisure time playing computer games, doing home work instead of

taking part in exercises and sports (Baniissa et al., 2020)

Ercan et, al. (2012) established that 20.9% of the adolescents used the computer for more than 2

hours per day while 52.4% of the adolescents watched television for more than 2 hours a day

thus a higher proportion of adolescents watched television for more than 2 hours per day and

these results were similar to a study conducted by (Ozmert et al., 2011). (Ercan et al., 2012) also

reported that decreased physical activity was a serious risk factor of overweight and obesity

whereby more than 50% of the adolescents did not participate in any physical activity and boys

had more regular activity than the girls and these findings coincided with a study that was carried

out by (Agazzi et al., 2010). In addition, 56% of the obese adolescents had an obese family

member.
According to a study that was conducted to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity

among adolescents in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, students living in wealthier families were

more obese than those coming from poor families and this is due to the fact that families with a

higher socioeconomic status have modern luxurious recreational life styles such as computer

video games, internet, televisions which reduce the level of physical activity thus increasing the

time spent doing sedentary behavior (Nguyen et al., 2013).

2.3: Limitations

(Ngwenya and Ramukumba, 2017) noted that the time that was designed for collection of data

was inadequate due to disruptions by the school programs, the subject’s fear about the study also

contributed to their limited responses and participants who forgot the consent forms plus the

parents who did not sign the form also led to the low response rate.

. (Ndaiye et al., 2016) did not address the socio-economic status of the students which could

have a strong relationship with obesity and this has fueled the interest of our study to find out the

determinant factors of overweight and obesity among secondary school adolescents.

Baniissa et al., (2020) recruited fewer private school participants than the ones who were

expected to take part in the study and this was attributed to the restricted access given by the

school administration to classes in the private school cluster.

2.4: Recommendations

(Ngwenya and Ramukumba, 2017) indicated that future studies have to be carried out to

establish the facilitators and risk factors associated with overweight and obesity among

adolescents.
Kedir et al., (2022) recommended that there is need to develop school nutrition clubs to promote

adolescent’s nutritional knowledge and also establishing structured school physical activity

sessions in order to meet the WHO physical activity guidelines.

Baniissa et al., (2020) concluded that family, dietary patterns, stress and social factors should be

assessed in the future studies to provide a complete picture of the predictors of obesity among

adolescents.

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1: Study Design

This research will be a descriptive cross-sectional study design utilizing quantitative methods to

collect data on risk factors of overweight and obesity among secondary school students. The

study will be conducted over a period of three months.

3.2: Study population

The study population will include students currently attending Mbarara secondary school who

are about 1500 students.

3.3: Study site and setting

Mbarara city located in south-western Uganda has a total of 53 secondary schools 44 of which

are private schools and 9 are government schools

Mbarara secondary school is a private mixed day and boarding secondary school located in

nyamityobora ward, south division, Mbarara city about 1.5km from Mbarara-masaka high way.

The school has a capacity of about 1500 students

3.4: Study procedure

We shall seek permission from the District Education Officer’s (DEO) office so as to access

information concerning Mbarara secondary school. We shall also seek permission from the

school stakeholders to access the students.

We shall then proceed to data collection and analysis and then disseminate the results of our

study.

3.5: Sampling (sampling techniques and sample size determination)

The target population will consist of students attending Mbarara Secondary School in

Southwestern Uganda. A stratified random sampling technique will be employed to ensure

representativeness. The population will be divided into two strata that is male and female at

convenience. The sample size will be determined using a Raosoft online sample size calculator,

expecting a 50% prevalence estimate with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5%.

3.6: Eligibility Criteria

3.6.1: Inclusion criteria

The people eligible to take part in this study should be students of Mbarara secondary school

who voluntarily accept to participate in the study.

3.6.2: Exclusion criteria

The following people who are not eligible to participate in the study are those who are not

current students of Mbarara secondary school and mbarara secondary students with severe
physical disabilities will also be excluded because of the inaccurate measurement of

Anthropometric indices.

3.7: Data Management

3.7.1: Data collection procedure

Consent forms will be given to all participants and after that, a researcher guided questionnaire

will be as well given to the participants. This questionnaire will consist of closed end and some

few open ended questions related to dietary patterns, physical activity levels, and personal habits

and it will be in English. This questionnaire will be a modified version of knowledge, attitude

and practice (KAP) standard questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, waist

circumference) will also be taken to assess obesity prevalence. Height will be measured using a

height board and results will be recorded in meters while weight will be measured by a calibrated

weighing scale and results will be recorded in kilograms.

3.7.2: Data entry and analysis

Raw data will be entered into Microsoft excel from where it will be exported into Stata software

for analysis. Anthropometric data will be used to determine the overweight and obesity

prevalence through calculation of relevant indices such as Body Mass Index (BMI).

3.8: Quality control

The chosen data collection tools will be tested prior to the study to ensure their efficiency. The

pilot study will be carried out among Global high school students. Thirty Global high school

students will be randomly sampled. The questionnaire will be pre-tested to ensure that questions

are understandable and they capture what they are intended to find out.
The researchers will be trained to how to use the data collection tools, the study protocol and

research ethics.

3.9: Ethical considerations

Ethical approval will be sought from the relevant institutional review board. Informed consent

will be obtained from all participants (students, parents, and teachers) before their inclusion in

the study. Confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained throughout the research process.

Quality assurance for data that is a modified standardized questionnaire will be used and test

instruments like weighing scales, a height board will first be tested by the researchers to ensure

that they are in good and working conditions.

3.0.1: Expected Findings and Implications

The findings from this study will contribute to a better understanding of the factors associated

with overweight and obesity among secondary school students in Southwestern Uganda. These

findings will be crucial in forming the design and implementation of targeted interventions to

address obesity in this population. Furthermore, the results will serve as a baseline for future

research and provide evidence to guide policy development in the field of adolescent health and

nutrition.

Conclusion

This research proposal outlines a study aiming to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of

overweight and obesity among secondary school students in Southwestern Uganda, focusing on

Mbarara Secondary School. By exploring dietary patterns, physical activity levels,

socioeconomic factors, and personal habits, this study will contribute to the existing knowledge

on adolescent obesity and inform strategies for prevention and intervention.

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APPENDIX

Appendix A: Questionnaire

Participant code: Height:

Sex: Weight:

Age: Waist Circumference:

Class:

Section: Boarding Day schooling

Part A: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS

We are trying to find out the level of physical activity from the last 3 weeks. This includes

sports or dance that makes you sweat or feel tired or games that make you breathe hard for

example skipping, running, climbing among others. Note that there is no wrong response and this

is not a test. Please answer all the questions as honestly and accurately as you can.

Please circle the right answer or tick the box as per the question

1. Do you participate in physical exercise/ activity?

Yes No

2. If yes, how many days per week do you participate in moderate to vigorous exercise?

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

3. On average, how many minutes per day of exercise?

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 90 120 >150

If any other, please specify:

4. How any activities do you do per week to accomplish the above exercise?

0 1 2 3 4 >5

5. Please circle the activities you do to accomplish the exercise

a. Sports ( football, netball, volley ball, basketball)

 b. PE class

c. Walking

d. Aerobics

e. Dance class

f. Skipping

g. Running

h. Cycling

If any other, please specify:

6. How do you do most of your exercise

a. Alone

b. In a pair

c. As a group

Part B: DIETARY BEHAVIORS

Please remember to be as authentic as possible and that there is no wrong answer.

1. How many meals does the school provide daily?

a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. more than 3

2. At what time are the meals given?

3. What kind of food are you provided daily?

4. Is there any special type of food they prepare on any day or weekends?

Yes No
5. If yes, which specific food and what day(s)?

a. Carbohydrates b. Protein c. vitamins d. fats and oil

6. How often do you take the provided meals?

a. Always

b. Irregularly

If there is any other pattern, please specify:

7. Are there any other foods you eat out of what the school provides?

Yes No

8. If yes, what type of food(s) you eat apart from school meals?

a. Carbohydrates b. Proteins c. vitamins d. Fats and oils

9. How often do you eat fried foods?

a. Daily

b. 1-3 times a week

c. Less than once a week

d. Never

Any other information, please specify:

10. How often do you add raw salt to food?

a. Usually b. sometimes c. rarely d. Never

Any other information, please specify:

11. How often do you eat fruits or vegetables?

a. Daily b. 2-3 times a week c. Never

Any other information, please specify:

12. How often do you eat fast foods?

 a. Daily b. 2-3 times a week c. Never

Any other information, please specify:

Part C: LIFE STYLE BEHAVIORS

These questions are aiming to find out some of our personal habits and you are kindly

requested to give the most correct and authentic response.

1. Do you smoke or drink alcohol?

Yes No

2. If yes, how many cigarettes per week?

a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. >4

3. How many hours do you sleep?

a. Less than 7 b. 7 hours c. more than 7 hours

4. Are you always stressed?

Yes No

5. What do you always do in your free time?

a. Sleep

b. Chat with friends

c. Watch TV

d. Read books

e. Play sports/exercise

Appendix B: Consent Form

Title of Study: THE PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF OVERWEIGHT AND

OBESITY AMONG STUDENTS OF MBARARA SECONDARY SCHOOL, SOUTH-

WESTERN UGANDA
Researchers: Ssemakula Jonathan, Amanya Lillian and Akatukunda Olivia who are offering a

bachelors of science in Physiotherapy at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

Purpose of Study

You are being requested to participate in our research study but before you make your decision it

is important to understand the significance of our study as it will not only enable us to collect

accurate raw data but also give you an overview of what will be carried out during the study. For

any inquiries, please ask one of the researchers to clearly explain to you what you may not

understand. Thank you.

The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence and risk factors of overweight and

obesity among students attending Mbarara Secondary School.

Study Procedures

This is a cross-sectional study.

We have obtained legal consent from Mbarara University and the Physiotherapy department in

order to request you so as to participate in this study.

We shall exhaustively explain to you the reasons as to why you are required to participate in our

research study and what kind of information will be anticipated from you. We also inform you

that you have a right to withdraw from this study at anytime and your decision will be well

respected. By signing this form, shows that you have given your honest consent to participate in

this study.

Risks: There are no evident risks in case you take part in this study.
Benefits

a. The prevalence will portray the burden of obesity among secondary school students.

b. The information on the factors associated with obesity among secondary school students

will increase awareness among the health promoters and the administrators of schools in

order to reduce the risk of students acquiring non-communicable diseases.

Confidentiality

We ensure to keep the responses from this study anonymous and we shall put in much efforts to

observe the confidentiality of all the information that will be provided during the survey by

assigning participant codes on the questionnaires with all the research responses.

Voluntary Participation

Your inclusion in this study is absolutely voluntary and it will be decision whether you want to

participate or not but you will be required to sign this consent form in case you decide to take

part in this study. After signing this consent form, you have the right to withdraw from this

study without any explanation and your data will be eliminated if you withdraw from this study

before data collection.

Consent

Through explanations, I have understood the information provided and that my participation is

completely voluntary and that I have a right to withdraw from the study at any time, without any

reason. I hereby agree to participate in this study.

Participant's signature ______________________________ Date __________

Investigator's signature _____________________________ Date __________

Appendix C: The Proposed Budget

Item/Activity No of items Unit cost Total cost

Transport cost to the 5 people 4000@person for 10 200,000

study site days

Typing and printing of 150,000

questionnaires, consent

forms, research

proposal

Equipments for data 100,000

collection

Refreshments 306 1000 306,000

Miscellaneous 100,000

Grand total 856,000