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Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Trends in waist circumferences in young British children: a comparative study
H D McCarthy1, K V Jarrett, P M Emmett
1Institute of Health Research & Policy, London Metropolitan University, London, UK. d.mccarthy@londonmet.ac.uk
Insights
Central fatness in young British children has increased more than general fatness between 1987 and 1997. This rise in waist circumference is concerning due to links with cardiovascular risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric obesity research
- Public health and epidemiology
- Childhood growth and development
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
- Assessing general fatness using Body Mass Index (BMI) may not fully capture health risks.
- Understanding trends in body fat distribution is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare central fatness (waist circumference) and general fatness (BMI) in contemporary British children versus those from 1987.
- To identify changes in body composition and fat distribution over a decade.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study of two cohorts of British children aged 2-5 years.
- Cross-sectional survey in 1987 and a longitudinal survey in Avon (1995-1998).
- Measurements included height, weight, BMI, and waist circumference.
Main Results:
- Contemporary children exhibited significantly greater mean waist circumference than those in 1987.
- Mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was also slightly but significantly higher in the contemporary cohort.
- The proportional increase in waist circumference exceeded that of BMI, particularly in girls.
Conclusions:
- Central fatness has increased more than general fatness in young British children from 1987-1997.
- Increased central adiposity is linked to adverse cardiovascular risk factors in children.
- BMI alone may mask obesity-related risks due to its inability to assess fat distribution.
Objective:
To compare waist circumference (a measure of central fatness) and body mass index (BMI, a measure of general fatness) between a contemporary cohort and similar aged British children measured in 1987.
Design:
: Comparative study of two cohorts. The first was a cross-sectional survey and the second an ongoing longitudinal survey.
Setting:
: The cross-sectional study was conducted throughout Great Britain during 1987. The ongoing longitudinal study was conducted in the Avon region between 1995 and 1998.
Participants:
A total of 1821 children were measured in the cross-sectional study, and around 1000 children were measured in the longitudinal study. Ages ranged between 2 and 5 y.
Main Outcome Measures:
Waist circumference, height, weight and BMI. Values were expressed as mean+/-s.d. Age-related measures were compared.
Results:
At equivalent ages, mean waist circumference values were greater in the contemporary children, compared with children measured in the earlier cross-sectional study in 1987 (P<0.05). Although boys from the contemporary cohort had the larger absolute waist circumference measurements, the absolute and percentage differences in waist circumference between the cohorts were greater for the girls. Mean BMI values were slightly but significantly higher in the contemporary children compared with children measured in the earlier cross-sectional study (P<0.05). The proportional increase in waist circumference for each age-sex group generally exceeded the proportional increase in BMI.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that central fatness in young British children has increased over the period of 1987-97 to a greater extent than general fatness. This should be of concern since evidence associates greater central adiposity with adverse levels of cardiovascular risk factors in children. Furthermore, the study highlights important shortcomings of the BMI measurement, in that it provides no information on body fat distribution and can mask true obesity-related risk in children.
