Skip to main content

Table 4 Socio-demographic factors associated with child obesity (bivariate) (N = 285)

From: Childhood obesity in urban Ghana: evidence from a cross-sectional survey of in-school children aged 5–16 years

Variable

Not Obese n(%)

Obese n(%)

X2

p-value

Type of School

0.762

0.383

 Private

69 (73.2)

25 (26.8)

  

 Public

150 (78.6)

41 (21.4)

  

Sex of child

1.959

0.162

 Male

114 (81.0)

26 (19.0)

  

 Female

105 (72.8)

39 (27.2)

  

Age of child (years)

10.783

0.004*

 5–10

105 (86.9)

16 (13.1)

  

 11–16

114 (69.4)

50 (30.6)

  

Religion¥

2.306

0.270

 Christianity

202 (75.8)

65 (24.2)

  

 Islam

14 (85.0)

2 (15.0)

  

 Traditionalist

1 (50.0)

1 (50.0)

  

Number of siblings¥

1.574

0.783

 None

0 (0.0)

1 (100.0)

  

 1–4

146 (76.5)

45 (23.5)

  

 5–10

67 (77.5)

20 (22.5)

  

 11+

5 (86.7)

1 (13.3)

  

Mother’s education

6.867

0.076

 No education

36 (91.8)

3 (8.2)

  

 Basic education

80 (72.7)

30 (27.3)

  

 Secondary education

46 (83.6)

9 (16.4)

  

 Tertiary education

56 (70.0)

24 (30.0)

  

Father’s education¥

14.537

0.002*

 No education

33 (98.4)

1 (1.6)

  

 Basic education

64 (67.9)

30 (32.1)

  

 Secondary education

60 (86.7)

9 (13.3)

  

 Tertiary education

62 (70.0)

26 (30.0)

  

Mother’s occupation

0.168

0.919

 Self-employed

178 (77.4)

52 (22.6)

  

 Public sector employee

21 (73.6)

7 (26.4)

  

 Private sector employee

20 (75.6)

7 (24.4)

  

Father’s occupation

1.214

0.545

 Self-employed

145 (78.7)

39 (21.3)

  

 Public sector employee

30 (77.9)

8 (22.1)

  

 Private sector employee

45 (70.8)

18 (29.2)

  
  1. ¥Fisher’s exact test; *p < 0.05