Evidence that the prevalence of childhood overweight is plateauing: data from nine countries
Year: 2011
Type: review
Abstract: Until quite recently, there has been a widespread belief in the popular media and scientific literature that the prevalence of childhood obesity is rapidly increasing. However, high quality evidence has emerged from several countries suggesting that the rise in the prevalence has slowed appreciably, or even plateaued. This review brings together such data from nine countries (Australia, China, England, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and USA), with data from 467,294 children aged 2-19 years. The mean unweighted rate of change in prevalence of overweight and obesity was +0.00 (0.49)% per year across all age ×sex groups and all countries between 1995 and 2008. For overweight alone, the figure was +0.01 (0.56)%, and for obesity alone -0.01 (0.24)%. Rates of change differed by sex, age, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. While the prevalence of overweight and obesity appears to be stabilizing at different levels in different countries, it remains high, and a significant public health issue. Possible reasons for the apparent flattening are hypothesised.
Institutions: University of South Australia, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, The University of Adelaide, Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, University of Auckland, University of Gothenburg, ETH Zurich, Institute of Food, Nutrition, and Health, University Hospital Zurich, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Institutes of Health
OpenAlex ID: W1985668205