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Overweight more prevalent among children than among adolescents
Author(s) -
Holmbäck Ulf,
Fridman Jennifer,
Gustafsson Jan,
Proos Lemm,
Sundelin Claes,
Forslund Anders
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2006.00189.x
Subject(s) - overweight , medicine , obesity , demography , pediatrics , population , body mass index , gerontology , environmental health , sociology
Aims: To study if there is a change in paediatric overweight/obesity prevalence from 1982 to 2002 in a population with a high proportion of post‐graduate education. Design: Two samples of children in Uppsala County, Sweden, were compared: children who were 4, 10 and 16 year old in 1982; or 4, 10 and 16 year old in 2002. Mean BMI (in the lowest 10%, middle 50% and highest 10%) and ISO‐BMI (‘age adjusted BMI’) cut‐off values were calculated in each age and gender group. Results: Using the mean BMI or ISO‐BMI cut‐off values, the BMI‐distribution shifted from 1982 to 2002. More 4‐ and 10‐year‐old girls and boys were overweight/obese, although this shift was larger in girls. No shift was seen in the 16‐year‐olds, only the middle 50% group in the 16‐year‐old girls had a slight increase of their mean BMI. In the 2002 4‐year‐old, and both 10‐year‐old samples, a higher proportion of the girls were overweight/obese compared to the boys, but no difference was seen in the 16‐year‐old sample. Conclusion: Young children, especially girls, have become much more overweight/obese during the past 20 years, despite a high proportion of post‐graduate education in the population. The lack of major change in 16‐year‐olds may suggest a rather recent change in the children's environment/lifestyle.