Is the prevalence of overweight and obesity declining among 4‐year‐old Swedish children?

Aim:  To investigate the trend in overweight and obesity prevalence among 4-year-old Swedish children.
Methods:  Height and weight data registered at the regular health check up at the child health centres in the county of Västerbotten during the years 2007/2008 (2225 boys and 2156 girls) were analysed and compared with data from 2002/2003 (2231 boys and 2176 girls). Overweight and obesity were estimated using the International Obesity Task Force cut-off values (ISO BMI).
Results:  In both boys and girls, overweight prevalence (ISO BMI > 25) decreased over the 5-year period, boys from 17.2% to 14.2% and girls from 22.3% to 19.0%. Among girls, there was also a decrease in obesity prevalence (ISO BMI > 30) from 5.7% to 3.1%.
Conclusion:  The result of this study indicates that the overweight and obesity epidemic among Swedish pre-school children may be levelling off.     

Obesity in 4-year-old children more prevalent in girls and in municipalities with a low socioeconomic level

Aim: To provide updated prevalence data of BMI and obesity in 4‐year‐old Swedish children, also exploring socioeconomic differences. Subjects: A total of 4407 children born 1998–1999 (2231 boys and 2176 girls) in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden. Methods: Overweight and obesity was estimated using the International Obesity Task Force cutoff values (ISO BMI). Information about socioeconomic level of the municipalities was collected from a health survey of the adult population. Results: Of the boys, 16.7% were classified as overweight and 3.1% of these as obese. Corresponding figures for girls were 22.1% and 4.5%. The P50 and P95 values for BMI were 16.2 and 18.8 for boys and 16.1 and 19.3 for girls, respectively. P50 was at the same level as in previous Swedish studies, while P95 was higher in this study. Obesity, in girls, was more prevalent in municipalities with a low socioeconomic level. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity in pre‐school children in Sweden is more prevalent in girls than in boys, and the prevalence is as high as in school age children. A low socioeconomic level of living area seems to be related to a higher prevalence of obesity. Increased preventive efforts, both on the individual and the societal level, must be undertaken to reduce future health risks in obese children.     

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in a county in Sweden

Overweight among young people in Sweden is increasing. The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of overweight and obesity based on body mass index (BMI) values among children and adolescents. Overweight was defined as a BMI value > or = 91st percentile and obesity as a BMI value > 98th percentile on an international reference BMI curve. The study population included boys and girls from four age groups: 9, 12, 15 and 18 y. The data consisted of self-reported measures of height and weight that were obtained from questionnaires used in a cross-sectional study in December 1997. A validation study was performed using a part of the study population. A total of 7011 (81.7%) participants completed the questionnaire. The correlation between self-reported estimations and objective measures of height and weight was high in the oldest age groups (0.88-0.98), but lower in the 9-y-old age groups (0.37-0.72). These self-reported estimations in the 9-y-olds were excluded from further analysis. It was found that 12.3%, 11.6% and 11.4% of the boys in the 12-, 15- and 18-y-old age groups and 6.8%, 5.5% and 4.8% of the girls in the same age groups were overweight and 7.9%, 8.9% and 7.3% of the boys and 5.1%, 4.2% and 3.9% of the girls were obese. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be high in the study population and is a serious public health problem. The prevalence of obesity was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in 15-y-old boys living in rural areas than in city and town dwellers of the same age.     

Change in prevalence of overweight and obesity in Finnish children – comparison between 1974 and 2001

Objective: To analyse the possible changes in the prevalence of overweight and obesity comparing birth cohorts from four different decades in Finland. Design: A retrospective longitudinal growth study. Methods: The subjects representing five birth cohorts: 1974 (n = 1109), 1981 (n = 987), 1991 (n = 586), 1995 (n = 856) and 2001 (n = 766) in the city of Tampere and three rural municipalities in Finland. Data included five consecutive height and weight measurements from 2 to 15 years of age. Normal weight, overweight and obesity at the time points were classified by body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) according to international age‐ and gender‐specific BMI cut‐off points. The chi‐square test was used to analyse the differences in the between birth cohorts. Results: The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity decreased significantly in 2‐year‐old boys (p = 0.009) and girls (p = 0.002) from 1974 to 2001. Insignificant fluctuation was seen in 5‐ and 7‐year‐old children. Both the prevalence of obesity and the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity showed a significant increase in 12‐ (p = 0.031 and p < 0.001) and 15‐year‐old boys (p < 0.001 in both) from the 1970s to 2000s. In girls, the prevalence of obesity as well as the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity increased significantly in the age group of 12 years (p = 0.023), but not in that of 15 years. Conclusions: During the last three decades, overweight and obesity have become clearly more prevalent in Finnish young adolescents. This trend has been more obvious in boys than in girls. At the same time, 2‐year‐old children have shown an opposite trend.     

Birthweight, breast-feeding, parental weight and prevalence of obesity in schoolchildren aged 10–12 years, in Greece; the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Allergies in Children Examined in Athens (PANACEA) study

Background: The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a sample of Greek children aged 10–12 years, and to evaluate these rates in relation to parental weight and birthweight.
Methods: During the 2005–2006 school period, 700 schoolchildren (323 boys, 377 girls) were randomly recruited from 18 schools, in Athens. Height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Cut-off points for BMI defining obesity and overweight for gender and age were calculated in accordance with international standards.
Results: Overall, 8.6% of boys and 9.0% of girls were obese, and 33.9% of boys and 22.1% of girls were overweight. Having an obese parent increased the odds of having an overweight or obese child (P < 0.01). Compared to non-breast-fed, boys who were breast-fed for >3 months had 70% lower likelihood of being overweight or obese (P < 0.01) and breast-fed girls had 80% lower odds (P < 0.01). Excessive birthweight (>3500 g) increased by 2.5-fold the likelihood of being overweight or obese only in girls (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Parental weight, lack of breast-feeding and excess birthweight (in girls) were significant predictors of overweight or obesity in Greek children aged 10–12 years.     

基于不同体块指数筛查标准的2011年北京市儿童青少年超重和肥胖检出率比较研究

目的 描述2011年北京市7~18岁儿童青少年超重和肥胖的检出率,并比较基于不同BMI筛查标准的检出率的差异。方法 研究对象为2011年北京市中小学体检的7~18岁学龄儿童青少年。采用BMI作为评价超重和肥胖的指标。超重和肥胖筛查分别采用4种不同的国内（CN2010和WGOC）和国际（IOTF和WHO2007）标准。不同BMI筛查标准之间超重、肥胖检出率比较采用McNemar检验。结果 ①92 212名男女生BMI在P50、P85和P95上均显著高于全国水平(2009年“中国0~18岁儿童青少年体块指数的生长曲线”),男女生在对应百分位曲线上无交叉现象,男生BMI水平高于女生。②基于CN2010和WGOC标准,男生肥胖检出率分别为17.8%和18.2%,女生检出率分别为10.8%和10.9%;基于IOTF和WHO2007标准,男生肥胖检出率分别为12.9%和21.0%,女生检出率分别为6.0%和8.6%。③基于CN2010和WGOC标准,男生超重（含肥胖）检出率两标准间差异无统计学意义,均为36.0%,各年龄组差异亦不明显,但女生检出率CN2010标准高于WGOC标准（28.1％ vs 24.1%）,在7~15岁组差异较为明显,但在16~18岁组差异较小;与国际标准相比,基于国内标准的男生超重（含肥胖）检出率略高于IOTF标准,但却明显低于WHO2007标准,女生检出率超重（含肥胖）明显高于IOTF标准,但与WHO2007标准较为接近。④与基于WGOC标准的2004年北京市7~18岁儿童青少年超重和肥胖检出率相比,2011年超重和肥胖检出率显著增长,男女肥胖检出率分别增长5.8%和3.8%,超重（含肥胖）检出率分别增长9.3%和7.6%。结论 2011年北京市7~18岁学生中有1/3处于超重或肥胖状态。国内标准与国际标准存在明显差异,在反映中国儿童的超重肥胖流行状况时建议采用国内标准,而理想的国内标准应实现2～18岁的统一,并与成人接轨。     

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 6–13 years—alarming increase in obesity in Cracow,Poland

This study in children aged 6–13 years (n = 1,499) was performed between October 2008 and March 2009. Height and weight measurements were taken to calculate BMI. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was determined by means of IOTF cut-offs with respect to age. Alarming is the fact that the percentage of obese children in Cracow increased dramatically from 1.04% in boys and 0.20% in girls in 1971 to 7% in boys and 3.6% in girls in 2009. In this report, a higher percentage of overweight boys was observed in rural boys (28.14%) than in urban ones (27.31%). Obesity was identified in an almost twice as high percentage of urban boys (7.78%) as in rural ones (3.52%). A higher percentage of overweight girls was registered in rural areas (16.49%) than in urban ones (16.09%). Obesity was prevailing in rural girls (4.12%) relative to their urban counterparts (3.44%). The highest number of overweight urban boys was diagnosed in the group of 12-year-olds (n = 48) and rural boys in the group of 10-year-olds (n = 39), as well as in urban girls aged 11 (n = 17) and rural girls aged 9 (n = 9). The highest number of obesity was observed in rural boys aged 12 (n = 3) and in urban boys aged 9 and 10 (n = 9 in both groups). In the group of girls, obesity prevailed in urban 9-year-olds (n = 5) and in rural 7-year-olds (n = 5). Conclusions: Overweight and obesity affect boys almost twice as frequently as girls. Obesity is twice as frequent in urban boys as in their rural peers.     

Overweight and obesity prevalence in children and adolescents from a private school in Recife

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in students from a private school in Recife; compare the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in boys and girls and in different age groups (children and adolescents) and verify the correlation between body mass index and triceps skinfold thickness in this population. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 762 students (332 children and 430 adolescents) from a middle/upper class school in Recife, in 1999. Overweight was defined as body mass index equal or above the 85th percentile for age and gender. Obesity was defined as body mass index and triceps skinfold thickness equal or above the 85th percentile. RESULTS: The prevalence rates were 26.2% (95%CI = 23 to 29%) for overweight, and 8.5% (CI95% = 6.5 to 10.5%) for obesity. Overweight was more prevalent among children (34.3%) than among adolescents (20.0%) (P<0.001). Obesity was more frequent among children (14.2%) than among adolescents (4.2%) (P<0.001). The prevalence of overweight in boys (34.6%) was higher than in girls (20.6%) (P<0.001). The prevalence of obesity was also higher in boys (14.7%) than in girls (4.4%) (P<0.001). The correlation coefficient between body mass index and triceps skinfold thickness was equal to 0.64 (95%CI = 0.60 to 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of overweight in our study population was as high as that found in industrialized countries; obesity, however, was less frequent.     

A study of growth parameters and prevalence of overweight and obesity in school children from delhi

OBJECTIVE: (1) To assess the height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of school children from Delhi and generate percentile charts as appropriate for age, gender and socio-economic status. (2) To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school children from low and upper socioeconomic status (LSES and USES respectively). DESIGN: Cross sectional evaluation of anthropometric parameters in Delhi school children (5-18 years) from different geographical zones. SETTING: Government schools (non-fee paying) and Private Schools (fee paying) in Delhi. SUBJECTS: 21485 children, 8840 (3566 boys, 5274 girls) from government schools and 12645 (6197 boys, 6448 girls) from private schools. Methods: Subjects underwent assessment of height and weight and calculation of BMI. Children were classified as normal, overweight and obese as per IOTF guidelines. Height, weight and BMI percentile charts specific for the socioeconomic status were generated using the LMS method. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was assessed and compared between the two socio-economic groups. RESULTS: A significant difference was noted in height, weight and BMI between LSES and USES. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in USES children was 16.75 % and 5.59 % in boys and 19.01 % and 5.03 % in girls respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant disparity in anthropometric parameters between children from USES and LSES, with a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in USES children.     

Association of physical fitness and body mass index in youth

AIM: The aim of this study was to establish physical fitness (PF) levels in a school population of 11-18-year-old students and analyse differences according to body mass index (BMI) status in overweight METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. The sample comprises 636 children and adolescents (mean age of 14.5+/-1.5 years), 288 boys (45.3%) and girls 347 (54.7%). Six tests from Fitness-gram battery were used as an objective measure of physical fitness. Overweight/ Obesity status was determined using age and sex adjusted cut-off points. RESULTS: Both girls and boys with obesity performed a significantly reduced number of tests in healthy fitness zone suggesting a decrease of performances in strength and cardiovascular fitness, from normal weight status to overweight and from overweight to obesity. Boys and girls with obesity are likely to be Under HFZ than normal weight. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that obese and overweight children have low PF level compared to normal weight peers. A large number of children with normal weight were identified as well as unfit. These data also showed that a low BMI level would significantly improve some PF component.     

Study of overweight and obesity in a population of urban school children in Sousse, Tunisia]

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of obesity and overweight and their relationship with cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS: Epidemiological survey based on a representative sample of 1569 urban school children of Sousse, Tunisia. RESULTS: Overweight (BMI > or = 25) was significantly higher in girls (16.1%) than in boys (11.6%); (chi 2 = 8.2; p = 0.004). Obesity (BMI > or = 30) was slightly higher in girls (3.7%) than in boys (2.7%); (chi 2 = 0.89; p = 0.34). Girls had significantly higher BMI, diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels than boys who had however significantly higher levels of systolic blood pressure. Overweight was significantly higher in children who did not practice sport at school: 22 versus 13.1% (p < 0.002), in groups of youngsters who were not affiliated to school sport or city associations. Overweight children had a significantly higher levels of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and means of systolic and diastolic blood pressures. CONCLUSION: These results will serve to set up a regional program of health promotion at schools.     

Breast-feeding and overweight in Singapore school children

Background:  Studies from developed Western countries have shown inconsistent associations between breast-feeding and overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. Few data are available from Asian populations. The purpose of the present study was therefore to evaluate the association between breast-feeding and overweight/obesity in a study of 10–12-year-old children in Singapore.
Methods:  A total of 797 school children (49% girls, 76% Chinese) who participated in the Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors for Myopia (SCORM) were examined. Overweight/obesity ( n  = 179) was defined as age–sex-specific body mass index (BMI) cut-offs corresponding to BMI of 25 kg/m² for overweight and 30 kg/m² for obesity at age 18 based on the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) reference.
Results:  The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 22.5%. Overall, breast-feeding was not found to be associated with overweight/obesity. After adjusting for potential confounders, the multivariable odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of overweight/obesity was 1.14 (0.80–1.63) for ever breast-fed compared with never breast-fed, 1.00 (0.57–1.72) for breast-fed for >3 months compared to ≤3 months and 0.79 (0.47–1.34) for exclusive/mostly breast-fed compared to partly breast-fed.
Conclusions:  No significant associations were detected among breast-feeding, its type, and duration with overweight/obesity in this Asian cohort of 10–12-year-old children.     

Increasing prevalence of overweight in young schoolchildren in Umeå, Sweden,from 1986 to 2001

Aim: To investigate the current prevalence and trend of overweight in young schoolchildren in Umeå, Sweden. Methods: Two cross‐sectional samples of children were studied: 1115 randomly selected children from preschool class to grade 6 (aged 6–13 y) attending school in 2001 and a matched sample of 507 schoolchildren from grades 0, 1 and 4 (aged 6–11 y) attending school in 1986. Overweight was defined according to age‐ and gender‐specific body mass index (BMI) cutoff values, corresponding to BMI values of 25 kg/m² (level 1) and 30 kg/m² (level 2) at late adolescence. Results: In the population from 2001, the prevalence of overweight was 23% (18% at level 1, 5% at level 2). The prevalence differed with age, with a higher prevalence at the ages of 6 and 13 y. Comparing children from grades 0, 1 and 4, attending school in 1986 and 2001, respectively, the total prevalence of overweight was twice as high in 2001 as in 1986. Regarding severe overweight (level 2), the difference was even larger (five times). In the 1986 sample, the prevalence of overweight did not differ between girls and boys, while significantly more girls than boys were overweight in 2001. Conclusion: In this sample of young children from Sweden, the prevalence of overweight doubled over the past 15 y and severe overweight increased even more, suggesting a need for intensified preventive efforts in young schoolchildren.     

Prevalence and regional distribution of childhood overweight and obesity in Shandong Province, China

Background

The rising prevalence of childhood obesity was observed in China. This study assessed the prevalence and district distribution of childhood obesity in Shandong Province, China.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the province. A total of 42 275 students (21 222 boys and 21 053 girls) aged 7–18 years from 16 districts participated in this study. Height and body weight of all subjects were measured, and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was obtained according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-offs.

Results

In 2010, the prevalence rates of combined overweight and obesity reached 26.86% in urban boys, 18.32% in rural boys, 14.36% in urban girls, and 11.31% in rural girls, respectively. An increasing trend was observed in the prevalence of overweight and obesity from the low socioeconomic status (SES) group to the moderate and high SES groups. The prevalence rates of combined overweight and obesity in the three SES groups were 18.46%, 21.08% and 27.31% in boys and 10.43%, 12.42% and 15.18% in girls, respectively.

Conclusions

There is a high level of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Shandong Province, China. The distribution of childhood obesity is positively associated with the regional SES.     

Overweight, obesity, weight-related concerns and behaviours in Hong Kong Chinese children and adolescents

Aim: To study the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and weight-related concerns and behaviours among overweight, obese and non-overweight children and adolescents. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional survey of all Chinese students in primary schools in the Central and Western District of Hong Kong in March 2002. Thirty-one of 32 schools participated, and 5402 boys and 5371 girls aged 8 to 15 y who completed a standardized questionnaire were included. We used the International Obesity Task Force definition (IOTF reference) to define overweight and obesity. Results: The prevalence (95% CI) of overweight was 16.4% (15.7-17.1%) (19.9% in boys, 12.9% in girls), and that of obesity was 7.7% (7.2-8.2%) (10.3% in boys and 5.1% in girls). The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was similar to that based on the local reference. Overweight children had more concerns about their weight than obese children. They were more likely than obese children to feel fat, wish to be lighter, diet and exercise to lose weight. Although obese children were heavier, they did not make more effort to lose weight than overweight children.

Conclusions: The differences in weight-related concerns and behaviours among overweight, obese and non-overweight children suggested good validity of the IOTF reference and the self-reported data. The differences between overweight and obese children suggested that the two groups had different psychological states and that they needed different weight management programmes and other intervention strategies.     

Difference in dietary intake and activity level between normal-weight and overweight or obese adolescents

BACKGROUND: To investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in an adolescent group representative of a rural Mediterranean area and to determine possible associations with energy and nutrient intakes and levels of physical exercise. METHODS: A representative sample of adolescents was drawn from the secondary school of Torre Pacheco (Murcia), a rural Mediterranean area located in the southeast of Spain. The population selected (331 adolescents aged 14-18 years), was divided into two groups: normal-weight subjects with a body mass index less than 23 kg/m2 and overweight or obese subjects with a body mass index of 23 kg/m2 or more. Weight, height, abdominal and hip perimeters, triceps skinfold, and upper arm circumference were measured. A prospective 7-consecutive-days food record and physical activity questionnaire were completed. RESULTS: Overweight boys and girls had an apparently lower energy intake (P = 0.001 and P = 0.042, respectively), and carbohydrate intake (P = 0.000, P = 0.032) than their normal-weight counterparts, but they tended to underreport more often. Overweight boys derived a greater percentage of their energy from fat (P = 0.049) and less from carbohydrate (P = 0.016) than their normal-weight counterparts. Among girls, the percentage of energy derived from fat increased with body mass index (r = 0.210, P = 0.008), whereas fiber intake decreased (r = -0.145; P = 0.041). Overweight and obesity were negatively related to physical activity level only among boys (P = 0.033). CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the adolescent population studied (48.2% in boys and 30.7% in girls). The study shows an association between overweight and obesity and nutrient intake and activity level.     

A comparative study of prevalence of overweight and obesity in children in different provinces of Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Saudi children from different provinces of the country and in different age groups. A total of 12,701 children (6,281 boys and 6,420 girls) with ages ranging from 1 to 18 years were enrolled during a household screening programme in different provinces of Saudi Arabia and height and weight were recorded. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated and applying age and sex specific cut-off points for BMI the children were grouped into overweight and obese. The overall prevalence of overweight was 10.68 and 12.7 per cent and that of obesity was 5.98 and 6.74 per cent in the boys and girls, respectively. In the different provinces the prevalence of overweight ranged from 8.8 to 27.4 per cent and from 9.3 to 27.6 per cent and obesity ranged from 4.7 to 10.4 per cent and from 4.3 to 13.8 per cent in the boys and girls, respectively. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was also calculated after grouping the children into 17 groups according to age. It is concluded that overweight and obesity occur in all provinces of Saudi Arabia although at a variable prevalence. In general, girls have a higher prevalence of both overweight and obesity compared with boys. Eastern province children have the highest prevalence and the Southern province children have the lowest prevalence of overweight and obesity. When grouped according to age, overweight and obesity tend to increase with age. Suggestions are made to prevent overweight and obesity development in Saudi children.     

北京市儿童青少年青春期发育与肥胖相关关系的研究

目的 分析北京市6~18岁儿童青少年青春期发育与超重肥胖的关系。方法 利用2004年北京市儿童青少年代谢综合征调查总样本中19 085名6~18岁儿童青少年的青春期发育、体重指数（BMI）和体脂含量百分比（FMP）等数据。采用女性乳房和男性睾丸容积Tanner分期指标衡量青春期发育，结合个体年龄将群体分为早、晚发育组；以BMI和生物电阻抗法所测FMP作为反映体脂含量的指标；7~18岁人群超重和肥胖的诊断采用中国肥胖问题工作组（WGOC）推荐的中国学龄儿童青少年超重、肥胖筛查BMI值分类标准进行，6岁组采用美国疾病预防与控制中心 2000年发布的儿童超重和肥胖BMI标准第P85和第P95分位值进行诊断；采用多元线形回归、Logistic回归分析早发育与体脂含量和超重、肥胖的相关联系。结果 早发育组的超重（合并肥胖）率和肥胖率均高于晚发育组，女性两组间差异大于男性；控制可能的混杂因素后，女性BMI和FMP与早发育呈正相关（BMI：β=2.25，P<0.001；FMP：β=4.55，P<0.001）；而男性BMI和FMP与早发育的联系相反，早发育组的BMI高于晚发育组，而FMP却低于晚发育组；以晚发育为参照组，控制年龄、城郊居住地等因素的影响后，早发育预测超重、肥胖的OR值（95%CI）：女性为3.39（2.94~3.92）和3.12（2.53~3.85），男性为1.12（0.96~1.31）和1.31（1.06~1.62）。结论 北京市儿童青少年青春期发育与肥胖密切相关，在评价超重、肥胖率及进行不同地区间肥胖流行状况的比较时，要注意青春期发育的效应修正作用。