The Relationship Between Sedentary Behaviour and the Incidence of Obesity in School-aged Children at Elementary School Mekarsari 09 Tambun Selatan

Introduction: Obesity is becoming an epidemic health problem in the world. The prevalence of obesity and overweight among school-aged children in Indonesia is higher at 20%, consisting of overweight (10,8%) and obesity (9,2%) than that of lean children (9,2%). Excessive sedentary behaviour can increase the risk of various health problems, one of which is obesity. Bekasi Regency in West Java Province has the 7th highest number of children aged 5-12 years with obesity. People who engage in sedentary behaviour at the age of 10-14 years is at (64.4%). Objective: To determine the relationship between sedentary behaviour and the incidence of obesity in school-age children at Elementary School Mekarsari 09 South Tambun. Materials and methods: The research design is cross-sectional with a total sample of 179 students in grades 4,5,6 selected through a probability sampling technique. ASAQ (Adolescent Sedentary Activity Questionnaire) questionnaire which has been tested for validity and reliability with good results was used to measure sedentary activities performed by children. Results: Among the 179 respondents studied, the majority of children engaged in moderate sedentary behaviour 119 respondents (66.5%) and the results of the Chi-Square test p-value = 0.617> α 0.005 means that there is no significant relationship between sedentary behaviour and the incidence of obesity. Conclusion: The amount of sedentary activity in elementary school children is not associated with the problem of obesity. However, students with obese nutritional status are advised to do more physical activity and reduce sedentary activities.