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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Racial and ethnic differences in secular trends for childhood BMI, weight, and height

David S Freedman1, Laura Kettel Khan, Mary K Serdula

  • 1Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. DFreedman@CDC.gov

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|March 31, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Childhood overweight prevalence increased significantly in the US over 30 years, with Black children experiencing the largest rise. This trend will likely increase adult disease burden, necessitating targeted obesity interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Public Health Trends
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Childhood overweight prevalence in the U.S. has risen dramatically over the past three decades.
  • Understanding trends across different racial and ethnic groups is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine secular trends in Body Mass Index (BMI), weight, and height among white, black, and Mexican-American children.
  • To identify disparities in these trends across racial and ethnic groups.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of nationally representative data from children aged 2-17 years.
  • Data collected across four examination periods from 1971-1974 to 1999-2002.

Main Results:

  • Black children showed significantly larger increases in BMI, weight, and height compared to white children.
  • Overweight prevalence increased 5-fold in Black children (4% to 20%) versus 3-fold in white children (4% to 13%) aged 6-11.
  • Mexican-American children's trends fell between those of black and white children; white children had the largest increase in overweight among 2-5 year olds.
  • In 1999-2002, extreme BMI levels (≥99th percentile) affected 6-7% of black girls and Mexican-American boys.

Conclusions:

  • Secular increases in childhood overweight are projected to significantly elevate the burden of adult diseases due to strong BMI tracking into adulthood.
  • Development of tailored obesity interventions for diverse racial and ethnic groups is essential.
Abstract

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