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Overweight and obesity in Irish primary schools: retrospective cohort study
Author(s) -
McMaster C.,
Cullen L.,
Raymond N.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2005.00543.x
Subject(s) - overweight , irish , obesity , retrospective cohort study , medicine , cohort , primary (astronomy) , environmental health , demography , gerontology , sociology , philosophy , linguistics , physics , astronomy
Background This retrospective cohort study investigates the feasibility of using established methods and routinely generated data from the statutory primary school health‐screening programme to estimate prevalence rates for childhood overweight and obesity in children from a rural area in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). Method Paper‐based records in the primary school health service for County Leitrim and parts of County Cavan in north‐west of ROI were hand searched to identify children attending senior infant classes during academic year 2001/2002. Electronic calculation of body mass index (BMI) and age at examination was carried out. Application of age‐ and sex‐specific cut‐off points from International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and United Kingdom (UK) standard definitions for childhood overweight and obesity was used to determine age‐ and sex‐specific prevalence rates for childhood overweight and obesity. Results The eligible cohort was almost completely identified and consisted of 361 children. Weight and height measurements were available on 328 (91%) children aged between 4.22 and 7.92 years. IOTF standard application gave prevalence rates of 25% for obesity and overweight in boys and 26% in girls. With the UK growth standard, this increased to 34% in boys and reduced to 23% in girls. Conclusion It is feasible to generate prevalence rates for childhood overweight and obesity from data routinely obtained through the statutory school health‐screening programme in ROI. This study suggests levels of childhood overweight and obesity comparable to other Western societies. Further research on developing a universally accepted standard definition of childhood overweight and obesity is required.