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Shifting curves? Trends in thinness and obesity among A ustralian youth, 1985 to 2010
Author(s) -
Hardy L. L.,
Cosgrove C.,
King L.,
Venugopal K.,
Baur L. A.,
Gill T.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
pediatric obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.226
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 2047-6310
pISSN - 2047-6302
DOI - 10.1111/j.2047-6310.2011.00016.x
Subject(s) - obesity , medicine , demography , socioeconomic status , body mass index , psychological intervention , childhood obesity , cross sectional study , gerontology , pediatrics , population , environmental health , overweight , endocrinology , pathology , psychiatry , sociology
Summary Objective To describe 25‐year trends in the prevalence of ≤ G rade 2 thinness and obesity among A ustralian children by sex, age and socioeconomic ( SES ) background. Methods Cross‐sectional surveys of N ew S outh W ales school‐aged children aged 6.0–16.9 years conducted in 1985–1997–2004–2010 ( n = 19 434). Height/weight were measured, and thinness and obesity were defined by international standards. SES was derived from children's residential postcode using the A ustralian Bureau of Statistics' Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage, most proximal to the survey year. Results Since 1985, the prevalence of thinness has not varied by survey year. Age was not associated with thinness; however, thinness was lower among middle SES boys, compared with high SES ( OR : 0.45, 95% CI : 0.21, 0.97). The prevalence of obesity trebled between 1985 and 1997 (1.7% vs. 5.1% P = 0.000); however, since 1997, obesity prevalence has not significantly changed. Since 1997, obesity was higher among younger compared with older girls ( OR : 2.11, 95% CI : 1.48, 3.00) and SES was inversely associated with obesity in boys ( OR : 2.05, 95% CI : 1.44, 2.92) and girls ( OR : 1.86, 95% CI : 1.27, 2.74). Conclusions The apparent plateau in child obesity is a welcome finding; however, the SES gradients are of concern. If the obesity stabilization is associated with the impact of multiple lifestyle behavioural interventions, the findings suggest obesity programmes have done ‘no harm’, but potentially the dose/delivery of interventions has not been sufficient or appropriate to reduce child obesity levels.