Abstract

Background: Obesity and Overweight are defined as excessive fat accumulation that poses a risk to well-being. In children, a BMI of the85 percentile to less than the 95th percentile is considered overweight, and the 95th percentile or greater is considered obese. 
Aim: This study aimed to measure the prevalence of childhood obesity in a population of six to16 years of age and its associated risk factors.
Participants and methods: In this comprehensive study, 50 samples of 6-16 - years of children were selected in public schools in the city of Nasiriya. The current search began from (4 April 2024) to (18 July 2024). A questionnaire was used to collect data.
Results: The vast majority of the sample consists of children, especially those between the ages of 12 and 16. With regard to gender, the majority of children in the sample were female. At the place of residence, the population sample contains the highest proportion of the urban population. When calculating the number of siblings in the family, the largest proportion falls into the category of two to four siblings. Once assessing the correlation between the BMI level and the socio-demographic attributes of the children as well as other variables that may affect obesity, it was found that there was a significant relation between the BMI level according to the Father's educational level (P< 0.005), the Mother's educational level (P 0.004), the Number of siblings in the family (p< 0.003). 
Conclusion: The risk factors for obesity are outlined number of main meals per day indicated a substantial association with obesity. physical exercise revealed an important relationship between physical activity and obesity. connection between the amount of time spent sleeping and obesity.
Recommendations: Parents must play their part as well, by providing healthy foods in the home and encouraging physical activity by limiting their children’s recreational television, video game, and computer time to less than two hours a day.