Abstract:

Objective: To explore the factors influences on childhood obesity in Mongar, Bhutan to notify and alert future improvement of a childhood obesity interventions for children in Bhutan.

Study design: Qualitative study.

Methods: Interviews of a purposeful sample with primary health workers and school health coordinator in one district in Bhutan were arranged to explore their perceptions related to the factors contributing to childhood obesity. 11 Primary healthcare workers and two school health coordinators were included. All the discussions were transcribed verbatim in English and iterative thematic approach was used for data analysis.

Results: In general, the causes of childhood obesity were perceived to relate to macro-level policy influences, the school environment, sociocultural factors, and family and individual behavioral factors, acting in combination.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that primary healthcare workers and school health coordinators have their own views on the causes of childhood obesity which involved behavioral, structural and social causes. A prominent emerging theme was the need for interventions like health workers and public awareness and support for a healthy environment. Any local initiatives in Mongar Bhutan are unlikely to be successful without such support.

Keywords: Bhutan, primary health workers, school health coordinator, childhood obesity, exploratory.

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