Increase in overweight in children has now been quantified

There has been awareness that children have been increasing in weight, but owing to a lack of definition of "overweight" and "obesity" no reliable estimates of the increase were available until now. Taking advantage of internationally agreed definitions published in 2000, Chinn and Rona (p 24) report the results from the national study of health and growth for 1974, 1984, and 1994. Data were collected for 9000 to 10 000 children aged 5 to 10 years at each survey. Little change was found from 1974 to 1984, but from 1984 to 1994 overweight increased from 5% to 9% and 9% to 13% in English boys and girls, respectively, and from 6% to 10% and 10% to 16% in Scottish boys and girls, respectively. These trends are likely to be reflected in increasing adult obesity.

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Relevant Article

Prevalence and trends in overweight and obesity in three cross sectional studies of British children, 1974-94

Susan Chinn and Roberto J Rona
BMJ 2001 322: 24-26. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]