Prevalence of overweight and obesity in 5- and 12-year-old Finnish children in 1986 and 2006

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and the trends of overweight and obesity in Finnish 5- and 12-year-old children in 1986 and 2006.
Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.
Subjects and methods: Anthropometric data were collected retrospectively from health examinations in Tampere and in three rural municipalities. The size of the 5- and 12-year-old cohorts were 2108 in 1986 and 4013 in 2006, respectively. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Overweight and obesity was estimated using the International Obesity Task Force cutoff values (ISO BMI).
Results: The prevalence of overweight (ISO BMI >25) and obesity (ISO BMI >30) in 5-year-old boys in 2006 was 9.8% and 2.5% and in girls 17.7% and 2.5%, respectively. At the age of 12 years, the corresponding figures in boys were 23.6% and 4.7% and in girls 19.1% and 3.2%. Between 1986 and 2006, the prevalence of overweight in 12-year-old children had increased 1.8 fold in boys (p < 0.001) and 1.5 fold in girls (p = 0.008). Overweight was significantly more common in rural than in urban areas.
Conclusion: During the last 20 years the prevalence of overweight has markedly increased in 12-year-old Finnish children, but remained nearly unchanged in 5-year-old children.     

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in primary school children in Port Said city

BackgroundThe highest prevalence rates of childhood obesity have been observed in developed countries, however, its prevalence is increasing in developing countries as well.ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children, aged from 6 to 12 years and to estimate risk factors of obesity and overweight, defined by body mass index (BMI).MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out at Port Said city during the second term of school year 2010/2011. The researcher took the anthropometric measurements inside the nurse’s room in the school and gave a questionnaire to the students to be answered by one of the child’s parents. The questionnaire included questions related to socioeconomic status, life style (physical activity and eating habits) and family history of overweight and obesity.ResultsEight hundred and fifty-two students participated in this study. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 17.7% and 13.5% respectively. The rate of obesity was the highest at the age of 7–8 years (grade 2) and decreased with an increase in age, while overweight increased with an increase in age to be the highest at the age of 9–10 (grade 4) and 10–11 (grade 5). Socioeconomic class, faulty dietary habits, sedentary life, low level of physical activity and positive family history of overweight and/or obesity were significantly associated with student’s BMI.ConclusionThis study found a relatively high prevalence of overweight and obesity among children aged 6–12 years in Port Said city. Decreased rate of obesity with an increase in age in our study, signifies that faulty feeding habits were the highest at lower ages.     

Relationship of food frequencies as reported by parents to overweight and obesity at 5 years

Aim: To investigate if food frequencies are related to overweight/obesity in 5-year-old children.
Methods: During 1997–1999, 21 700 infants were invited to participate in ABIS (All Babies in Southeast Sweden), a prospective, cohort study. Participants were followed from birth (n = 16 058) to 5 years (n = 7356). Food frequencies reported by parents at 2.5 and 5 years were studied in the relation to overweight/obesity at 5 years using multiple logistic regressions. A p-value < 0.01 was considered statistically significant.
Results: At 2.5 years frequencies of intake of cheese were positively associated with overweight/obesity at 5 years while porridge, fried potatoes/french fries and cream/crème fraiche showed a negative association. When adjusting for known risk factors, porridge and fried potatoes/french fries remained negatively associated with overweight/obesity. At 5 years, chocolate and lemonade were positively associated with overweight/obesity whereas cream/crème fraiche, pastries and candy were negatively associated. Candy remained negatively associated to overweight/obesity after adjustment for potential confounders.
Conclusion: Food frequencies do not offer any simple explanation for overweight/obesity. Porridge at 2.5 years may protect against overweight/obesity at 5 years, while lemonade may contribute to overweight. Our finding that fried potatoes/french fries may protect against overweight/obesity is unexpected and must be interpreted with caution. These findings should be confirmed by prospective studies using objective recordings.     

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.     

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.     

Sex disparity and perception of obesity/overweight by parents and grandparents

OBJECTIVE:

To explore the factors associated with the sex disparity showing a greater prevalence of obesity/overweight in boys compared with girls in Chinese school children.

METHODS:

Sampled students and their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire. Perceptions of weight status by the parents, grandparents and children themselves were collected. A logistic regression analysis was used.

RESULTS:

The sampled students included 327 obese/overweight students and 1078 students with normal body mass index (BMI). The crude OR of obesity/overweight for boys compared with girls was 1.57 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.01). The increased risk of childhood obesity/overweight for boys remained after adjustment for prenatal and infant factors, daily habits and family situation, but disappeared after adjustment for perception of weight status (OR 1.27 [95% CI 0.93 to 1.67]). There were differences in underestimation of children’s weight status between boys and girls by their parents and grandparents (OR 1.33 [95% CI 1.08 to 1.64] and OR 1.42 [95% CI 1.15 to 1.75], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

Misconceptions about a child’s weight status were prevalent among parents and grandparents, and boys’ weight status was more frequently underestimated than girls. The disparity of underestimating weight according to sex may partially contribute to the difference in the prevalence of obesity/overweight between boys and girls among Chinese school children.     

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.     

The relationship between sleep duration and obesity in Turkish children and adolescents

Aim: To determine the relationship between sleep duration and obesity in Turkish children and adolescents.
Methods: This study was conducted in Turkey with 5358 children aged 6 to 17 years. Height, weight, waist circumference (WC), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness were measured. Body mass index (BMI), arm fat area were calculated. Self-reported sleep duration by parents were obtained.
Results: As sleep duration increased, BMI, which was significantly higher in girls sleeping ≤8 h, decreased (p < 0.05). WC, MUAC, BMI were significantly higher in boys sleeping ≤8 h versus males sleeping ≥10 h. Boys sleeping ≤10 h in 6.0–17.0-years had significantly higher risk of overweight/obesity. In 6.0 to 17.0 years, the risk of overweight/obesity in boys sleeping 9–10 h, 8–9 h and ≤8 h were 1.86-, 1.74- and 2.06-times higher respectively, versus children sleeping ≥10 h (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Sleep duration may be an important factor for obesity and providing ≥10 h of sleep is recommended as a prevention strategy for obesity.     

北京市超重肥胖儿童青少年中黑棘皮症检出率及与胰岛素抵抗的关系

目的 分析超重、肥胖儿童青少年黑棘皮症(AN)与胰岛素抵抗的关系,为诊断胰岛素抵抗提供临床线索.方法 以2004年北京市儿童青少年代谢综合征调研中筛查出的1 877例6～18岁超重和肥胖儿童青少年作为研究对象.测量体重指数、腰围,并检测空腹血糖、胰岛素和血脂水平,采用稳态模式评估(HOMA-IR)法,评价个体胰岛素抵抗状况.结果 超重、肥胖儿童中黑棘皮症检出率分别为12.7%和26.3%;合并AN者的腰围、胰岛素、甘酰甘油(甘油三酯)、血压均分别显著高于单纯超重、肥胖者,肥胖合并AN者的高密度脂蛋白-胆固醇水平显著低于单纯肥胖者;超重、肥胖组中AN阳性者的HOMA-IR指数几何均值(P25～P75)分别为2.81(2.13～4.12)mU/L和3.69(2.53～5.34)mU/L,分别显著高于两组AN阴性者[2.03(1.45～3.01)mU/L;2.45(1.72～3.61)mU/L](P＜0.001).结论 超过1/4的肥胖儿童罹患黑棘皮症;具有黑棘皮症表型特征的超重、肥胖儿童更容易出现代谢异常指标的改变,以及胰岛素抵抗程度的加重;黑棘皮症可以作为筛查胰岛素抵抗患儿的临床表型特征.     

Overweight and obesity trends in Copenhagen schoolchildren from 2002 to 2007

Aim: The purpose of this study is to monitor the prevalence trend in overweight and obesity among Copenhagen schoolchildren from the school years 2002 to 2007. Methods: Copenhagen community health service doctors conducted routine examinations at school entry (ages 5–8 years) and exit (ages 14–16 years). Body mass index (kg/m²) of 33 245 schoolchildren was calculated. The prevalence of overweight (including obesity) and obesity was classified using the International Obesity Task Force definitions. Results: From 2002 to 2007, although the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) in young girls decreased from 17.8 to 15.9%, the trend was non‐significant. In young boys, the trend slightly decreased, and the prevalence fell from 14.0 to 11.6%. In adolescent girls, the prevalence varied considerably and increased from 22.7 to 25.4% without a discernable trend. In adolescent boys, the trend slightly increased, and the prevalence rose from 15.8 to 18.9%. There were no significant changes in the prevalence of obesity. Conclusion: In contrast to the preceding decades, we identified a potential stagnation in the obesity epidemic among children but a continuing increase among adolescents. It remains critical to continue monitoring and to increase preventive measures to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity.     

Trends of underweight,overweight, and obesity in Brazilian children and adolescents

ObjectiveTo describe and analyze the trends of occurrence of underweight, overweight, and obesity in schoolchildren.MethodsThis was a longitudinal study of trends conducted in a voluntary sample of Brazilian children and adolescents. The sample was grouped by year of collection (period I: 2005 and 2006; period II: 2007 and 2008, and period III: 2009-2011), age category (children: 7 to 10 years, and adolescents: 11 to 14 years), and stratified by gender. The body mass index was used to classify the nutritional profile. Trend analysis was verified using multinomial logistic regression (p < 0.05).ResultsMean occurrences were 2.11% for underweight, 22.27% for overweight, and 6.8% for obesity. There was a decrease of underweight in male adolescents from period I to II, as well as an increase in female children from period II to III. Regarding overweight, there was an increase followed by a decrease in male children. Regarding obesity, there was an increase from period I to II in all age groups and for both genders.ConclusionThe prevalence of underweight was less than 5% in all categories of age and gender. However, the categories of overweight and obesity showed higher values, and together comprised almost 30% of the young Brazilian population; moreover, a trend toward increase in prevalence of obesity was observed up to the year 2008, followed by the maintenance of these high prevalence rates.     

上海市7~18岁学生1985至2014年的超重和肥胖流行趋势

目的：分析上海市1985至2014年7~18岁学生的超重和肥胖的动态变化趋势。方法：选取1985（n=14 677）、1995（n=7 916）、2000（n=15 270）、2005（n=7 492）、2010（n=14 301）和2014（n=15 423）年6次中国学生体质与健康调研上海地区资料进行分析。采用中国学龄儿童超重、肥胖BMI分类标准。结果：基于上海市6个区总调查样本量,以10年（1985、1995、2005和2014年）为1个周期,随年代增长上海市7～18岁男、女学生BMI P50百分位数曲线逐年提高,总体男生较女生提高更为明显,不同年龄组的男女生BMI均值呈上升趋势且均为男生高于女生。2014年上海市BMI和全国比较,P50男女生均高于全国水平,P85和P95男女生11和12岁前与全国水平重合,之后高于全国水平。与1985年比较,2014年上海市7～18岁男生超重检出率增加了11倍（19.3% vs 1.7%）,肥胖检出率增加了29倍（11.7% vs 0.4%）,平均增长率为12.3%;上海市7～18岁女生超重检出率增加了7倍（11.6% vs 1.5%）,肥胖检出率增加了31倍（6.4% vs 0.2%）,平均增长率为12.7%。各年龄组男生超重检出率14.3%~26.9%、肥胖检出率7.3%～17.0%,男生11岁超重和肥胖检出率最高;各年龄组女生超重检出率8.6%~14.0%、肥胖检出率2.8%～11.2%,女生7岁超重和肥胖检出率最高。男生各年龄段超重和肥胖检出率均高于女生。结论：上海市1985至2014年7~18岁学生超重与肥胖检出率持续增长。低年龄段男生超重流行程度较为严重,已处于国际高位水平。     

重庆城区婴幼儿超重与肥胖状况及影响因素的研究

目的：了解重庆城区婴幼儿超重与肥胖现况及其危险因素,为儿童肥胖早期干预提供依据。方法：采用分层整群抽样的方法,对生后1月龄的2139名儿童进行3、6、9、12和18月龄的生长监测、评估和问卷调查。以18月龄是否超重与肥胖为应变量进行多元回归分析。结果：（1）婴儿超重与肥胖检出率生后前半年增长迅速,6月龄达26.04%,之后逐渐降低,至18个月龄时为15.89%。（2）Logistic回归分析显示父亲营养状况、儿童出生时、6月龄、9月龄和12月龄的营养状况、3月龄喂养方式、12月龄蔬菜进食频次、18月龄甜饮料添加频次以及18月龄上床时间共9个因素与18月龄儿童超重与肥胖显著相关。结论：重庆城区婴幼儿超重与肥胖现状突出,存在多种因素共同作用,应给予早期综合干预。     

血清谷丙转氨酶与儿童超重、肥胖的关系

目的：探讨血清谷丙转氨酶（ALT）与儿童超重、肥胖的关系。方法：对年龄7～18岁的2889例正常儿童及702例超重、肥胖儿童的资料进行分析,测量身高、体重、腰围、血压,检测空腹血糖、血脂、ALT、胰岛素等生化指标,计算胰岛素抵抗指数。结果：男童ALT水平高于女童。随着体重指数（BMI）的增加,男女童正常组、超重组、肥胖组ALT水平均逐渐增加。ALT与BMI、腰围、甘油三酯、胰岛素抵抗指数等相关。在超重、肥胖儿童中,男童ALT升高组BMI、腰围、血压、甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白、胰岛素抵抗指数均较ALT正常组高（P<0.05）;女童ALT升高组腰围、血压、胰岛素抵抗指数高于ALT正常组,而高密度脂蛋白降低（P<0.05）。结论：ALT与儿童超重、肥胖及其引起代谢异常如血脂异常、胰岛素抵抗相关。     

Overweight and obesity in twenty-year-old Swedes in relation to birthweight and weight development during childhood

Aim: To describe the frequency of overweight and obesity from birth to 20 years of age and analyse weight at 20 years of age in relation to weight and weight development during early childhood and adolescence. Methods: A longitudinal, population‐based study, which followed 496 children from birth to 20 years of age. Information about weight and height was collected from health records at child health centres and school health care. At 20 years of age, weight and height measurements were taken by one of the authors. Results: At 20 years of age, 124 (25%) of the youth were obese or overweight. Of these youths, 60% had normal weight at 5.5 years. Of the teenagers who were overweight/obese at 15 years, 79% remained overweight/obese at 20 years of age. Out of the 124 overweight/obese at 20, 47% had normal weight at 15 years. [Corrections added after online publication on April 18, 2012: ‘Out of the 124 obese at 20’ has been changed to ‘Out of the 124 overweight/obese at 20’]. No relation was found between rapid weight gain during preschool age and overweight and obesity in 20‐year‐olds. Conclusions: The majority of those who were overweight/obese at 20 years of age were recruited after 5.5 years of age, and half of them in their late teens. Thus, during the preschool period, the entire population should be the target of primary prevention from overweight/obesity and, in the case of teenagers, prevention strategies should be developed for the whole population as well as treatment strategies for teenagers with established overweight/obesity.     

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 among Iranian School Children in Different Ethnicities

Objective

Malnutrition, overweight and obesity are major health concerns in modern societies and especially among children. Overweight and obesity affect children''s current and future health. It is known that the prevalence of overweight differs by race, sex, and geographic location.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study 30092 Iranian children aged 7-18 years in six ethnic groups were selected by a cluster sampling. Prevalence of obesity and overweight and distribution of body mass index (BMI) by gender, age, and ethnicity were measured. Cutoff points of BMI for defining obesity and overweight were based on the Iranian, and IOTF standard values.

Findings

This study showed a significant ethnic difference in BMI. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Iranian children was 9.27% and 3.22% respectively comparing international standards. The frequency of overweight and obesity was higher in boys.

Conclusion

This study showed a significant difference in BMI among different ethnic groups.     

Exposure to hexachlorobenzene during pregnancy increases the risk of overweight in children aged 6 years

Abstract Aim: To determine whether prenatal exposure to hexachlorobenzene (HCB) has potential adverse effects on child's weight and body mass index (BMI) in a general population with no local pollution sources. Methods: Starting from mid 1997, all mothers presenting for antenatal exposure in Menorca were recruited. Subsequently, 482 children were enrolled. HCB was measured in cord blood. Weight and height were measured at birth and at age 6.5 years. Results: Children with HCB levels higher than 1.03 ng/mL in cord blood were 1.14 kg (0.38) heavier and had a higher BMI (beta= 0.80 (0.34)) than children with HCB levels lower than 0.46 ng/mL. No statistically significant associations were found in height. Children in the higher exposure group of HCB had an increased risk of 2.5 and 3.0 of being overweight and obese. Children from normalweight mothers also presented an increased risk of having higher BMI with increasing concentrations of HCB in cord serum. Conclusion: Prenatal exposure to HCB is associated with an increase in BMI and weight at age 6.5 years. Further studies with larger samples and longer follow-up are needed to confirm these results.